in addition to my varied experience teaching communication/public speaking at Portland State Univerity, philosophy/rhetoric at Global Ministries University & Grand Canyon University, organizational leadership & humanities at Claremont Lincoln University and human development at Warner Pacific University, I have also ascended to the role of department chair with Claremont Lincoln University, without the aid of a doctorate. This is due in large part because of my daily work in close readings in psychology, philosophy, history, sociology, literature, and Socratic questioning. This close reading work, which might be viewed as akin to working on a doctorate every day for the entirety of my teaching career, has allowed me not only to continually bring new perspectives and ideas to my students; but also put me in a position to be asked to develop curriculum without prior experience, and of course the aforementioned ascent to department chair, which allowed me to incorporate all my corporate and academic experience in one important (albeit part-time) position.

My success is unquestionably driven by this close-reading work, which has given me the ability to easily help students make connections between their ideas and the ideas of their classmates, through a process of applying the principles of dialogue combined with Socratic/intentional questioning. This is particularly important in the online learning environment, where I believe robust engagement in the discussion forums is where the magic happens. Guiding students to make those important connections will help them become “freer” thinkers and take them in at least the direction of solving those seemingly intractable problems. And crucially, these principles & methods can be applied to every realm of learners, from coaching managers in the workplace to working with adult learners who are juggling work and school.