I have been a communication practitioner for over 20 years. Currently a Department Chair and Professor of Media & Communication at Salem State University, I hold graduate degrees in Media and Communication, a graduate certificate in Women & Gender Studies, and an undergraduate degree in Organizational Communication. Prior to pursuing a graduate education, I worked as a client manager in a role that included curriculum development and internal product training. My research focuses on the overlap between leadership skills and community building and has been published in a variety of scholarly outlets and presented at multiple academic conferences. My 2024 edited collection Crafting Community and 2019 TedTalk about garment-making have been received well by both academic and layperson audiences.
My teaching and training experience is robust and includes working with adult learners in online and in-person delivery formats. I am an active community and family mediator, and serve on the executive board of The North Shore Resolution Center. Recently I earned a Collaborative Discussion Coach certificate from the Interactivity Foundation and a Women and Leadership certificate from Cornell University. I also serve as Secretary for the Essex County Commission on the Status of Women (ECCSW) and as treasurer of my local neighborhood association.