Professional Experience

University of Padova, 2021 - Current
Research Communications Coordinator, UniPd Botanical Garden (2024 - Current)
  • Develop informal education strategies for promoting research activities based at the University of Padova's Botanical Garden 
Visiting Researcher (2021 - 2024)
  • Continue informal STEM education and science communication research
Communication and Marketing Division: Outreach Associate (2022 - 2023)
  • The Museum of Nature and Humankind - English panel translations

The Organization of Biological Field Stations, 2020 - Current
  • President, 2024 - 2026
  • Co-Chair, The International Committee, 2021 - 2024
    • ​Co-host of the Latin American Virtual Conference, March 2023
    • Co-host of the Europe/Africa Virtual Conference, April 2023
    • Matching Program Committee member, ongoing
  • Elected Member at Large, 2020 - 2022

CICHAZ USA, 2015 - Current
President
  • Oversee all fundraising and financial initiatives.
  • Promote and support CICHAZ and all its outreach activities

Centro de Investigaciones Científicas de las Huastecas "Aguazarca" (CICHAZ), A scientific field research station in Calnali, Hidalgo, Mexico, 2005 - Current
Co-Director
  • Develop and evaluate outreach programming.
  • Establish long-term financial support.
  • Coordinate academic research and outreach activities taking place at the field station.

Ecology and Conservation Biology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, September 2015 - 2021
Research Assistant Professor/Assistant Professor of the Practice
  • Research includes informal STEM curricula (development and implementation) at field stations and the impacts of science experience on the general public in democratic systems. 

CS4Ed, Consulting Services for Education, College Station, TX, October 2010 – 2020
Vice President, Research
  • Provide clients with background research on products, services, and market activity, and interpret data for business planning.
  • Collaborate on the production of case studies, curriculum, management training programs, reports, business plans, and presentations.

Houghton Mifflin Publishing Company, Boston, MA, February 2001 – September 2005
Director, Product Integration
Project Manager
  • Responsible for integrating technology products and helping with product strategies given technology-oriented education policies.
  • Responsible for developing project plans and requirements for corporate technology initiatives, and managing the development teams implementing approved projects.
  • Managed the inter-divisional committee overseeing the development of a corporate intermediary standard-to-content correlation tool.
  • Worked with the Customized Education Services team to support district customization requests.
  • Managed the clean up and maintenance of the K-12 Math, Reading/Language Arts, Science, and Social Studies Master Learning Objective Data Model.

GlobaLearn, Cambridge, MA, July 1999-November 2000
Director of Content
Director of Online and Curriculum Productions
  • Managed the development of and implemented K-12 Social Studies and Language Arts curricula for online and off-line learning environments.
  • Conducted usability studies and formative evaluations with teachers and students.
  • Managed the research, design, and development of all online and off-line curriculum materials for two expeditions through Africa.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), The Information Technology Masters of Engineering Project: Distributed Software Engineering Laboratory, Cambridge, MA, August 1998 - August 1999
Teaching and Research Assistant
  • Helped develop a technology-based curriculum distributed between software engineering classrooms at MIT and CICESE, an engineering university in Ensenada, Mexico.
  • Assisted the professor with course introduction and student support throughout the course.

Harvard Project Zero, Cambridge, MA, February 1998 - August 1999
Research Associate
  • Organized and helped run workshops for 30 teachers around the ALPS Web site and the Teaching For Understanding framework. Also provided ongoing support for these teachers.
  • Helped organized and run a Teaching For Understanding workshop in Ensenada, Mexico (March, 1999) broadcast between three universities interested in the Teaching For Understanding framework.

National Geographic, Washington, D.C., June 1994 - May 1997
Production Coordinator, National Geographic Online, November 1996 - May 1997
Researcher, National Geographic Television, September 1994 - November 1996
Associate Producer, NG Television, April 1996

Cable News Network, New York City, May - July 1993
News Desk, Tape Desk, and Library Intern

The Wall Street Journal Europe, Brussels, Belgium, September - December 1992
Editorial Page Intern

Reader's Digest, Pleasantville, NY, June - August 1992
Magazine Production Intern

Education

Texas A&M University, College Station, TX
Department of Political Science, Doctorate of Philosophy, December 2013
  • Fields: Comparative and American Politics
  • Dissertation: “Education Spending: Impacts on Human Capital Development” An analysis of supply and demand-side education policies in 33 countries, and a case study of how such policies are implemented at the local level in Mexico.
  • Committee: Dr. Michelle M. Taylor-Robinson (chair), Dr. James R. Rogers, Dr. Marisa Kellam, and Dr. Zulema Valdez

Harvard University Graduate School of Education (HGSE), Cambridge, MA
Masters of Education, Technology in Education Program, February 1999

Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA
Bachelor of Science Degree in Industrial Management, May, 1994
Bachelor of Science Degree in Applied History, May, 1993
  • Honors Thesis “A Kiss on the Cheek: An Ethnographic Study of the Semester Abroad Experience of an American Student”

The American University World Capitals Program, Brussels, Belgium
Study Abroad, August 1992 - January 1993