Special Education Teacher

July 2020 - Present

RSP Teacher - Sotomayor Arts / Sciences Magnet - 2021 - Present (LAUSD), Los Angeles, CA
SDC Teacher - Normandie Avenue Elementary - 2020 (LAUSD), Los Angeles, CA
Educational Specialist Credential includes mild/moderate disabilities, English language learners, and autism.

2020 TFA LA Corps Member

April 2020 - Present

Teach For America, Los Angeles, CA
Teach For America finds, develops, and supports a diverse network of leaders, working together to end educational inequity. It's alumni, corps members, and staff work in schools and in every sector and field that helps shape educational opportunity in America. The TFA community is bound by a set of Core Values and a shared commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusiveness we envision for our country.

Member of the Board of Directors

December 2010 - November 2017 | July 2020 - Present

West Valley County Water District, Neenach, CA
Current President of the Board of Directors (elected state-wide office) of this small municipal water utility serving the Holiday Valley community in Neenach, CA, in the mountains of northwest Los Angeles County. Previously served two terms as President of the Board of Directors (2010-2017)

Director of Education / Research

November 2015 - Present: Part Time, Remote

Towcester Abbey Praeceptory, Neenach, CA
Responsible for publications, research, educational, and e-learning programs.
• Took on a new opportunity and faced tough challenges with a sense of urgency, high energy, and enthusiasm when I co-founded the Praeceptory at Towcester Abbey in order to improve the lives and outcomes of actually autistic people in Los Angeles county and beyond.
• Hands-on in the marketing efforts, interfacing with panicked parents / caregivers and medical professional, assuring all concerned that their special loved ones will receive the best of care.
• Utilized strong organizational and creative skills to create complete learning experiences (in-person, blended, and on-line) that are supportive of the unique needs and pace of autistic students.
• Partnered with Tynker and Lego to deliver coding and computer science education, creating a unique program that caters to the area’s non-verbal autistic population.
• In collaboration with the Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons in California, designed and produced Revitalize!, a daily program of mentored leadership development offered on-line as micro learning. The course is comprehensive in it’s treatment of the leader-follower relationship, from pre-boarding, to on-boarding, to finding one’s place in the organization, to member engagement and beyond.

Freelance Work

August 1996 - Present

Author, Instructional Designer, Artist, Change Agent
• Contract Instructor for Amped Software, Inc. (2012 – 2016)
• Contract Curriculum Designer / Instructional Designer for Amped Software, Inc. (2012 – 2016)
• Under contract to the government of the Republic of South Africa, created a change management program to transition a group of skilled graphic artists into forensic video analysts. In addition to the complete creation of this learning event, this also included the creation of all forms, manuals, and position descriptions that conformed to their ISO accreditation standards. Supervised the translation of the produced materials from English to Afrikaans, Xhosa, and Zulu.
• Writer for Planet Neurodivergent.
• Curriculum Developer / Instructional Designer / Instructor for Courseography.
• Blogging on the Forensic Multimedia Analysis blog since 2007.
• Technical writer for eForensics Magazine.
• Technical reviewer for the Journal of Forensic Science.
• Professional event photographer, videographer, and re-touch artist.
• Adjunct Instructor – Woodbury University.
• Guest Lecturer – Art Center College of Design, Pasadena.
• Guest Lecturer – Grand Lodge of Free & Accepted Masons, California.

Senior Consultant

July 2018 - March 2020 - exploring a restart in 2022 after the pandemic-caused closure

Apex Partners, Las Vegas, NV
Responsible for the learning development and forensic science programs.
• Discovered a gap in the Texas Forensic Science Commission’s licensing program. Designed, developed, wrote the courseware, and validated a course in Statistics for Forensic Analysts – now offered on-line as micro learning.
• With the dissolution of the partnership between Amped Software and Axon, re-created and updated the Forensic Science courses that I had previously designed and delivered in person on-line as micro-learning. Built the store front to market / sell training seats. Publicize the courses across the breadth of social media platforms.
• Utilize needs assessment / customer data as well as project management skills to assist customers in achieving their performance / standards compliance goals. Analyze user needs and use collected customer data to produce content most relevant to our target audience.
• Certified Audio / Video Forensic Analyst - forensic science case work for local, state, federal ciminal / civil courts as well as military courts. Authentication of multimedia evidence (audio, video, images). Photographic Comparison. Content Analysis. Photogrammetry. Case review.

Director of Customer Support and Training

January 2016 - February 2019

Amped Software, Inc., Henderson, NV
Responsible for support and training programs for the North American region. Assisted in marketing efforts.
• Gained insight into customer needs; identified opportunities that benefited the customer; built and delivered solutions that met customer expectations; established and maintained effective customer relationships.
• In partnership with Axon, formerly Taser, increased sales through the development of Axon’s Forensic Suite Training Program. Utilized these training programs to increase Forensic Suite sales by 25% quarter over quarter.
• Designed, maintained, and delivered complete software training programs for the company’s product line. Used training programs as an adjunct of customer support, helping things go right for the customer in the first place.
• Leveraged strong communication skills in consulting with SME to build and present in-person, blended, and virtual training sessions.
• Created marketing copy for the Axon Forensic Suite program, sales slicks, web ads, blog posts, social media campaigns, and scripts for their e-commerce site, outside / inside sales teams.
• Created marketing copy and blog posts for the company’s main office in Italy to illustrate the value proposition of the company’s products, converting readers to satisfied customers. Utilized A/B test strategy to maximize impact.
• Collaborate with a world-wide employee / contractor base via Google Hangouts / Slack to create and deliver products / services to customer base. Coordinate all facets of the process with sales & marketing team for targeted ad campaigns.

Police Surveillance Specialist

July 2001 - March 2016

Los Angeles Police Department, Los Angeles, CA
I performed skilled work in the design, fabrication, testing, installation, operation, maintenance, and inspection of electronic surveillance and countermeasure equipment utilized in the investigation of criminal activity. Additionally, I founded the Forensic Digital Multimedia Analysis Lab within the Electronics Unit in 2002 and served as the Department's Senior Forensic Digital Multimedia Analyst. Finally, I am CA POST certified as an curriculum developer and instructor.
• I designed, developed, and delivered in-service, task force, conference training, e-learning and presentations in synthesis with the Department’s mission, vision, and values.
• I designed, developed, and delivered training presentations for two industry trade groups, the National Technical Investigators’ Assoc. (NaTIA) and the Law Enforcement & Emergency Services Video Assoc (LEVA).
• Utilized technical writing to develop a technical knowledge base across the surveillance and digital forensics domains. • Surveillance photographer and videographer responsible for the creation of recordings of criminal activities that would be presentable in court for the prosecution of offenders.
• Audio / video forensic analyst utilizing modern production and specialized equipment for the analysis of multimedia evidence. • Researching, creating, and maintaining of state-mandated quality standards for the unit.
• Seconded to the Combatting Terrorism Technical Support Office (CTTSO) to collaborate on the guidebook, Best Practices for the Retrieval of Video Evidence from Digital CCTV Systems.
• Seconded to the National Institutes of Justice (NIJ) to collaborate on the creation of the standard guide, Criminal Justice Interview Room Recording System Standard.
• Loaned to the Organization of Scientific Area Committees on Forensic Science (OSAC) to collaborate on the creation of consensus standards documents. Currently near the end of my second and final term on the OSAC, serving as the lead of the Video Task Group.

Treasurer

January 2005 - January 2006

Beverly Hills Lodge #528, F.&A.M., Los Angeles, CA
I served one term as the Treasurer of the Beverly Hills Masonic Lodge (a California 501 (C)(10) corporation), responsible for the receipt and disbursement of all monies due or owed to/by the Lodge as well as for the oversight of the management of the Lodge’s multi-million dollar portfolio of stocks, property, and oil rights. I obtained certification from California’s Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons in financial management in 2005. Certified in Lodge Management by the Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons in California.

President, Board of Directors

January 2003 - June 2004

Scottish American Athletic Association, Los Angeles, CA
I served one term as President of a member supported 501 (c)(3) charity organization representing over 1000 members from all over the world. I was responsible for the daily activities of an agency staffed entirely with volunteers. I was also responsible for the Association’s charitable activities, events, and fundraising.

Director of Publications

January 1996 - December 2004

Clan MacFarlane Society International, Dunfirmline, Fife, UK
I was responsible for the creation and distribution of all publications related to the activities of this ancient Highland Clan’s registered charitable societies in the UK and the US . I supervised photographers and graphic artists working in the corporation’s offices in the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, and the United States.

Trustee

July 1991 - June 1992

Sonoma County Junior College District, Santa Rosa, CA
I served one term as an elected member of the Board of Trustees of the Sonoma County Junior College District representing the student population of the district.