EDUCATION
Ph.D. Geography, University of Arizona. 2010. Committee members: Dr. Marvin Waterstone (advisor), Dr. Paul Robbins, Dr. Sallie Marston. Areas of concentration: Cooperative Economics, Political Economy, Political Ecology. Dissertation: Reluctant Revolutionaries: Socio-spatial transformations in Argentina’s Recovered Businesses.
M.A. English (TESOL/Linguistics), Colorado State University. 1993. Advisor, Dr. Karl Krahnke. Thesis: Does Format Influence Perception of Grammar Structures?
B.A. Creative Writing, Minor in Physics Teaching (Magna Cum Laude with Honors), University of Arizona. 1991. Honors Advisor, Dr. Richard Shelton. Honors Thesis: A Global Case of Consumption.
ACADEMIC WORK
Member of the Faculty & Union Stewards Coordinator, The Evergreen State College (2010-2020). Tenured 2013. Designed and taught interdisciplinary programs and courses for undergrads, including geography, political ecology, political economy, history, and GIS. Faculty union stewards coordinator and bargaining team member.
Graduate Advisor, Prescott College Master of Arts Program (Spring 2010-Fall 2012). Mentored and assessed graduate students in pursuit of their masters degrees.
Lecturer in Geography, University of Arizona (2006-2009). As a graduate student assistant, independently designed and taught courses and GIS lab sections for undergraduates.
Research Assistant, University of Arizona (2004-2006). Management and “data wrangling” for NSF-funded Community GIS projects in Chicago and Tucson headed by Dr. Sarah Elwood. Spatial strategies and coordination of government officials and community organizers involved in the projects.
Lecturer in English Language Studies, Konyang University, Nonsan, South Korea (2001). English language courses for undergraduates. ESL training for Korean teaching professionals and co-authorship of in-house English textbook, English Communication 2.
Lecturer in English Language and Culture Studies & CALL Coordinator, Nagasaki Junshin Catholic University, Japan (1994-1997). EFL speaking and writing courses; established the college’s first internet connection and initiated network computer-assisted language learning (CALL) and self-study courses. Technical writing including “how-to” manuals in English and Japanese. Research grant from Japanese Education Ministry (Monbusho).
PRIVATE SECTOR WORK
Environmental Consulting. (2017-Present). Self-employed, Current. Certified by US Fish & Wildife Service for endangered species protection work (Mazama pocket gopher). Surveyed hundreds of acres and produced dozens of official reports for land use permit applications in Thurston County, WA.
Sales Engineer and Overseas Development Liaison. (2001-2004). Gcom, Inc. Technical sales, web design, marketing, and technical writing for a company specializing in legacy networking solutions (e.g. linking SNA or X.25 to IP). Wrote/edited technical manuals, took lead on web-based GUI design project. Technical support and project management worldwide, mostly in North America and China.
Assistant Manager and PADI Scuba Instructor. (1999-2000). Thalassa 5* Dive Center Manado, North Sulawesi, Indonesia. Managed operations for North Sulawesi, Indonesia’s only 5-star dive center while general manager was out of country. Handled dive instruction, hospitality, marketing and advertising. Certified several students as scuba divers. Marketing manger duties: content, design, layout, print preparation, advertising.
Web Designer/Internet Business Owner (1997-2001). Started and managed two small dot-coms: GrayCell Interactive and Cyberscribe Internet Services. Business planning and LAN engineering. CRM, sales, tech support, technical writing, marketing, invoicing, accounting, databases, project management, and HTML/JavaScript authoring.
GRANTS, HONORS & AWARDS
University of Arizona Excellence Graduate Fellowship in the Social Sciences (2009-2010). $10,000 fellowship awarded for “exceptional scholarship or creativity, emphasizing the potential for substantive innovation and likelihood to advance a traditional, emerging or interdisciplinary field.”
National Science Foundation Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement Grant (2008-2009). $12,000 awarded for field work in Argentina and other expenses relevant to dissertation research.
Tinker Foundation Research Grant (2006). $1100 for fieldwork in Argentina, awarded through the University of Arizona Latin American Studies Program.
Graduate Fellowship. University of Arizona. (2004-2005). $5000 granted for first-year enrollment in University of Arizona’s Geography graduate program.
Graduate Assistantship. University of Arizona. (2004-2009). Full tuition grant with stipend for research and teaching assistance.
Graduate Assistantship. Colorado State University. (1991-1993). Full tuition grant with stipend for undergraduate teaching.
Honors Tuition Waiver. University of Arizona. (1987-1991). Full-time undergraduate tuition waived, dependent on academic performance.
Phi Beta Kappa. Undergraduate honors society.
ELECTED OFFICES
Precinct Committee Officer (Democratic Party). 2020. Woodard Creek Precinct 047, Thurston County, WA. Precinct-wide ballot election.
Delegate, Washington State Democratic Party Convention. 2016. Elected delegate for Senator Bernie Sanders.
SELECTED COMMUNITY OUTREACH & CIVIC ENGAGEMENT
Board Member & Volunteer, South of the Sound Community Farm Land Trust. 2016-17. Promoted and supported the work of this important organization.
Food & Water Watch Volunteer. 2014-15. Organizer and advocate for a ban on non-therapeutic use of antibiotics in livestock, which drives bacterial antibiotic resistance. Successfully lobbied Olympia City Council, which passed a supportive resolution.
Field Research Day Camp for Middle and High School Students , Arizona Youth University. 2007 & 2008. Designed and led week-long “Eco-research Adventure Camp” for middle and high school students to learn fieldwork techniques for ecological research. Students collected field data, tracking recovery of the Coronado National Forest after the 2003 Aspen wildfire. Data presented to US Forest Service officials.
Border Action Network Volunteer. Tucson, Arizona. 2004-2007. Technical support for Border Action Network, a group that advocates for and promotes the legal rights of migrants, by setting up a wireless computer network, phone-banking, and letter-writing in both English and Spanish.
President, United Nations Association of Champaign County, Illinois. 2003-2004. Increased dues-paying membership by over 30% in 12 months; started a quarterly newsletter (see below). Organized multiple community events, including a speaker series, high school essay contest and renowned speaker, Rajmohan Ghandi. Event collaboration with University of Illinois’ Model UN Program.