Teaching Portfolio

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Teaching Philosophy

 

As an artist and an educator, I passionately believe that one of the greatest assets a person can possess is the confidence to reveal one’s authentic self. After in-depth studies in theatre, psychology, Argentine tango, and educational pedagogy, I am making a positive contribution to the lives of others by challenging my students to also confidently be themselves. My classrooms are enriched by the sharing of one's world view, the summation of life experiences, ethics, and diverse backgrounds that create an outlook original to the individual. I advocate for a symbiotic learning relationship.  While I’ve gone through a higher education teaching certificate program, attended and presented at conferences, and researched pedagogy, my learning and teaching philosophy has been most impacted by my students. They have inspired me to try different teaching strategies, to go on unexpected paths, and to adapt in order to educate them more effectively. 

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THEATRE AND LIGHTING DESIGN PROFESSOR

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Baldwin Wallace University: Berea, OH 2023-2026

Associate Professor of Lighting Design and Technology, Resident Lighting Designer and Supervisor

Co-chair Dept. of Stage Design and Production Studies as Faculty Liaison for Stage Management

Responsibilities include a 24-credit load each year. This includes designing for 4-5 productions across Theatre, Dance, Musical Theatre, and Opera. Theatre Advisor for 10-15 students/year.

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Wofford College Spartanburg, SC  2020-2023

Responsibilities include a 3-1-3 course load each year. Seasons included two main stage shows and one student show in which I received a course release for being a designer, master electrician and/or mentor each term. Supervised and trained students as electricians, lighting board programmers, master electricians, and lighting designers with students often assisting. I also serve as the production manager and as the stage management mentor. Between semesters is Interim/J-term which is a 5 day a week, month long intensive course. I serve as a General Education Advisor to about 20 students over the last 2 years. I also do additional programming and special events for the college.

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University of Southern Indiana   Evansville, IN 2017- 2020

Responsibilities include a 3 or 4 course teaching load each semester. Seasons included four main stage shows and 1-2 student shows in which I received a course release for being a designer, master electrician and/or mentor each term. As part of Theatre Lighting Lab course I provided practical applications training an average of 25 hours/week where students served as electricians, lighting board programmers, master electricians, and  lighting designers. As part of the department, I was actively part of KCACTF with highlights including two participating productions, winner of Regional Lighting Design Competition, student Certificate of Merit in Lighting Design and honorable mentions. I also served as a Theatre Major/Minor Advisor to about 20 students over 2 years and did additional programming and special events for the university.

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Northwestern University: Evanston, IL 2012-2014

Graduate Student Instructor

Argentine Tango Dance Instructor

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Sample of Courses Taught. Course descriptions are available upon request.

Lighting Design, Advanced Lighting Design, Stage Lighting Technology, Fundamentals of Design and Production,  Lighting Practicum, Drafting and Rendering for the Theatre (Hand, Vectorworks, Photoshop, Lightwright), Collaborative Studies, Intro to Theatre, and Argentine Tango.

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Please contact me for the PDF of my full teaching portfolio which also includes my CV, full teaching philosophy, diversity statement, testimonials, etc. 

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THEATRE PRESENTATIONS, TRAININGS, AND WORKSHOPS

Interactive Media Lab at Cleveland Institute of Art: Educator, 2026 

Training: Provided 2.5 hours of training on lighting technology and programming to students, employees and professors. Created base file, paperwork, and additional documentation to support effective system operation.

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Bucyrus Little Theatre: Educator, 2024 

Training “Masterclass: Lighting Design and Technology” A 7-hour hands-on workshop for those working community theatres, K-12, and other local educators

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Tri-State Sculptor Conference Presenter 2022  

“Light, Sculpture, and Perception” An interactive demonstration of how changing the qualities of light (color, angle, intensity, shape, distribution, and movement) on sculpture can alter how we perceive it. Participants will be able to propose combinations to try and see how their ideas manifest. Attendees will also learn a little about how the brain interprets what the eye “sees”.

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Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival 2018-2022

2021 & 2022: Tech Challenge Trivia (co-creator and presenter)

Researched, curated content, and presented a technical theatre knowledge game show virtually over five regions across the country and gained donations from National and regional theatre companies to supply prize packages.

2020: A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Faculty Exhibitor), Tech Olympics (Judge), Region Three Design 

Projects Competition (Respondent), The Revolutionists Participating Show (Lighting Director, 

Golden Hand Truck Award)

2019: Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time Participating Show (Lighting Designer), Tech 

Olympics (Judge), Region Three Design Projects Competition (Respondent)

2018:  Anon(ymous) (Faculty Exhibitor), Tech Olympics (Judge), Region Three Design Projects 

Competition (Respondent)

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Visiting lighting designer, mentor, and/or technical workshops for students, faculty, and volunteers:

East Aurora High School: Aurora, IL

Sacred Heart Schools: Chicago, IL

St. Dominic School: Shaker Heights, OH

Baldwin Wallace University High School Conservatory Summer Institute: Berea, OH

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TEACHING PEDAGOGY AND GAMIFICATION WORKSHOPS

 

TeachX Conference Presenter (2021-2026)

2026: “Let’s Play Games to Improve Communication and Empathetic Understanding”

  We all think differently. As a neurodivergent educator in a diverse classroom, I know how difficult communication can be. Sometimes understanding each other practically or empathically can be challenging. What seems obvious to one person can be confusing to another. In this event, we will learn games that creatively demonstrate the different ways we communicate and more importantly, the MANY ways we can be misunderstood. I’ll teach you games that build skills in clearer and more inclusive communication with interpersonal dynamics. Pedagogically, these activities promote UDL in conjunction with gamification. 

2024: “Implementing UDL through Gamification.” We will examine how various student polling and instructor curation can tailor a course to the specific students in the class. By giving students a voice in their education, you can create a unique experience for all.

2022: “Choose Your Own Adventure: How to Help Students Lead Their Education.” Do you ever struggle to decide what to keep and what to cut in a course where you can’t possibly teach it all? Perhaps, it’s time to let your students decide. Learn more about student-led learning and gamification inspired by the book series .

2021: “Learning Beyond the Lecture: Engaging Students with Real-time Technology and Gamification.” Blending online polling and gamification in a unique way that promotes student engagement and retention.

 

GenCon Presenter (2020-2026)

2026: “Demo Games that Build Communication” Rotate through stations to learn games that creatively demonstrate the different ways we communicate and more importantly, the MANY ways we can be misunderstood.

2025: “Gamification & UDL: A Practical Application.” Learn ways to implement Universal Design Learning (UDL), Gamification, and other non-traditional approaches in education. We explore interactive course design, alternative grading, and game examples.

“Let’s Play: Games That Improve Communication & Empathetic Understanding.” Learn and play games that I’ve created and commercial games that I’ve adapted that build skills in communication, interpersonal dynamics, and understanding each other’s unique POV.

2024: “Mash-Up: Implementing UDL with Gamification.” Reimagine your course through a mash-up of Gamification, ULD, Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligences, “choose your own adventure”, and other pedagogical approaches. 

2023: “Choose Your Own Adventure: How to Help Students Lead Their Education”

2022: “Get Up and Play: Gamification in Action.” During this hands-on workshop for all types of educators, experience several games that get your students away from their desks to playfully learn and learn how to apply them to your classes. 

2020 & 2021: “Engaging Students with Real-time Technology and Gamification for Under $5.” Blending online polling and gamification in a unique way that promotes student engagement and retention 

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InspirEd, and EngagEd Series Presenter, Northern Alberta Institute of Technology 2024 

Presenter “Choose Your Own Adventure: How to Help Students Lead Their Education” 

I gave a 2-hour online workshop for faculty and staff at NAIT based on gamification and UDL

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Wofford College “Games Go to School” Presenter 2023

 hosted by Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning. Four Wofford faculty members with experience in gamification share their expertise and advice. Participants receive guidance on how to incorporate game elements within their own courses.

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Celebration of Teaching & Learning Symposium at Univ. of Southern Indiana Presenter 2020

“Gamification in the Classroom: Interactive Teaching for Different Learners” The integration of technology to enhance lecture-based learning isn’t a new concept, but using examples from my Lighting Design course, I will demonstrate how online polling  furthers student engagement in a way I haven’t seen utilized previously. My  goal was to develop students’ ability to utilize vocabulary and analyze images in a way that provides fun and immediate feedback. Standard lectures can be problematic in regards to maintaining student attention and them transferring the course material into their long term memory. In theatre, communication is essential, words are another way to make an image come to live in the mind.

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ARGENTINE TANGO

Formatted in weekly series, weekend workshops, beginner's boot camp, private lessons (couples or individual), special event choreography, and college courses

 

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