FORMAL EDUCATION

M.S. Human-Computer Interaction, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Troy, NY, 2008

The M.S. in Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) combines coursework in human-computer interaction with theory in allied areas such as technical communication, human factors, information design, cognitive science and computer science.

B.A. Leadership Studies, University Of Richmond
Richmond, VA, 1997

Leadership Studies was a unique major that, at the time, was the only undergraduate degree of its kind in the country. I was initially attracted to the Jepson School of Leadership Studies because it focused on skills and knowledge that could be applied to a wide variety of different fields, and these studies on corporate leadership and culture have been more applicable than I ever imagined; many companies hold dozens of seminars and sessions annually to educate their managers and employees about topics such as leadership, management, ethics, personality indicators and more that we studied at the Jepson School.

ADDITIONAL STUDIES

Advanced JavaScript: DHTML, WestLake Web Training
Washington, D.C., 2002

Two-day training course on Advanced JavaScript and CSS (DHTML).

Aquent Springboard Web Design Bootcamp
Boston, MA, 2000

One of approximately 20 people recruited nationwide to participate in this two-week long intensive training course on HTML, JavaScript and graphic design for the internet. The program was sponsored by Aquent Partners, a temporary employment agency specializing in graphic design and technology and run by WestLake Solutions.

Working with Aquent after completing this course, I was placed at QVC in a consultants role, where I was eventually offered a full-time position.

Various Courses, Penn State Great Valley
Malvern, PA 1999

Courses completed: Ethics and the Internet, Fundamentals of Programming Using C and HTML.

Various Courses, New Horizons Computer Learning Centers
King of Prussia, PA 1999

Courses completed: Advanced Photoshop, Beginning Illustrator 8.0, Advanced Illustrator 8.0, Beginning QuarkXpress.

INDUSTRY CONFERENCES

• Usability Professional’s Association (UPA) Annual Conference
• User Interface Engineering (UIE) Annual Conference
• Nielsen/Norman Usability Week
• Creative Good LabFest
• Forrester Consumer Forum
• Forrester Marketing Forum
• Shop.org First Look
• Shop.org Online Marketing Workshop
• eTail East Annual Meeting
• Streaming Media East