AboutI teach and support individuals and organizations working to navigate unprecedented levels of change and uncertainty with curiosity, courage, and emotional agility. I emphasize exploration and action in support of the public good across sectors and professions because I believe we need a whole of society response to address public problems such as climate change, political polarization, and mental health crises.
|
|
I draw on my cross-disciplinary academic background in Organizational Communication and Public Policy & Administration as well as my 20-plus years of experience as a practitioner, coach, and consultant. I currently serve as Associate Professor of Professional Studies and Program Coordinator for the University of Virginia (UVA) Public Administration Online Graduate Certificate Program. I also consult on behalf of Engaged Advisors and Org Management Group. I rely on a range of tools and disciplinary lenses, because problems and possibilities are rooted in local context and best addressed when stakeholders closest to the work co-design solutions, using practices that fit their interests and needs.
Before coming to UVA, I served as the Hazel Cramer Endowed Chair in the Department of Public Policy and Administration at Sacramento State University, where I taught and conducted applied research on organizational communication, planning, leadership, and stakeholder engagement. Prior to this, I taught as an adjunct professor for the Price School of Public Policy and the Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism at the University of Southern California (USC).
As a practitioner, I served as Associate Director and Organizational Development Specialist for the California Comprehensive Center at WestEd, an educational research, development and service agency. I also worked as a deputy county administrative officer, personnel director, and First 5 director in northern California.
I earned my PhD in Organizational Communication at the University of Colorado at Boulder, my Master of Public Administration from USC, and a B.A. in Liberal Studies from CSU Monterey Bay.
My specialties are public administration; communication; organizational development; change management; university teaching; applied research; local government policy and operations; planning; and personnel management.
In my spare time, I love hiking, dancing, cooking and eating with friends, and reading detective novels (slowly) in Spanish. I live in Sacramento, California and Sedona, Arizona with my husband Bryon and our two amazing cats.
Before coming to UVA, I served as the Hazel Cramer Endowed Chair in the Department of Public Policy and Administration at Sacramento State University, where I taught and conducted applied research on organizational communication, planning, leadership, and stakeholder engagement. Prior to this, I taught as an adjunct professor for the Price School of Public Policy and the Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism at the University of Southern California (USC).
As a practitioner, I served as Associate Director and Organizational Development Specialist for the California Comprehensive Center at WestEd, an educational research, development and service agency. I also worked as a deputy county administrative officer, personnel director, and First 5 director in northern California.
I earned my PhD in Organizational Communication at the University of Colorado at Boulder, my Master of Public Administration from USC, and a B.A. in Liberal Studies from CSU Monterey Bay.
My specialties are public administration; communication; organizational development; change management; university teaching; applied research; local government policy and operations; planning; and personnel management.
In my spare time, I love hiking, dancing, cooking and eating with friends, and reading detective novels (slowly) in Spanish. I live in Sacramento, California and Sedona, Arizona with my husband Bryon and our two amazing cats.