Bio

I am originally from Billings, Montana. In 1979, I earned an associate's degree in marketing from Fox Valley Technical School, a community college in Appleton, Wisconsin. I then worked for a major newspaper in advertising in Orlando, Florida before deciding to earn my bachelor's degree. I graduated in 1985 with honors from the University of Montana-Billings with a Bachelor of Arts in organizational communication including an extended major in mass media. I did my graduate work at the University of Oregon in Eugene, Oregon earning my master's degree in rhetoric. I was awarded a graduate teaching fellowship and taught fundamentals of communication and interpersonal communication while in graduate school.

Upon earning my master's in 1987, I was hired by the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls, Iowa where I taught organizational communication, conference techniques, and interpersonal communication for three years.

I have been teaching at SCC since 1990 and have taught the following classes:

  • Introduction to Communication Studies 101
  • Interpersonal Communication 210
  • Small Group Communication 230
  • Intercultural Communication 227
  • Business and Professional Communication 287
  • Job Communication Skills 121
  • Leadership 127
  • IDS class on gender and literature
  • IDS class combining interpersonal, writing, and literature

I mainly teach Interpersonal Communication and Introduction to Communication. I enjoy teaching and know that communication skills are important for success at work, in school, and in relationships. I always encourage my students to take as many communication courses as possible since I know they will benefit greatly from doing so. We have a very eclectic faculty who have many interests and have developed lots of different courses in communication. Take advantage of them while you are here at SCC as we offer more courses in Communication Studies than some four-year schools do! Please stop by to talk with me about any of the courses I teach. If you are interested in earning one of our four Certificates of Achievement, I can also give you information about those.