Work

Experience, education, and teaching philosophy

Career Timeline

May 2023 - Apr 2024

Program Manager

Immerse Full-time Remote

Supported the growth and development of Immerse’s VR English program and directly managed 8 VR language instructors.

Department: Education Team: Program Management Cross-functional with: Product, Research, Customer Success, and Marketing

Teaching in the Immerse VR environment

Aug 2023 - Nov 2023

Director of Language Programs (Interim)

Immerse Full-time Remote

Temporarily led Immerse’s team of program managers and VR instructors for English, French, and Spanish. (Interim role to support evolving departmental needs).

Department: Education Team: Program Management Cross-functional with: Product, Research, Customer Success, and Marketing

ICEF webinar on AI and language learning

Panel discussion with HalloAI and Immerse exploring how artificial intelligence is creating a new chapter in language learning.

November 01, 2023

Jan 2022 - Aug 2023

Founder & CEO

PartnerEd.tech Full-time Remote

PartnerEd.tech was an evolving platform for my efforts to engage in the edtech market, acquire new domain knowledge (business development, operations, marketing, etc.) and experiment with a wide range of the latest technology:

AI Training & Coaching - Developed custom resources to help educators, administrators, and next-generation operators build better experiences with AI and automation.

Partnership Consulting - Developed co-marketing campaigns for Tipalti (payment automation) and Nintex (process automation) to promote automation solutions for edtech. Worked closely with SAAS partnership managers.

Ecosystem Strategy & Narrative Advisory - Advised a pre-Series A CEO to support ecosystem narrative development. Included market research and deck development.

AI-powered edtech messaging analysis

Analysis of messaging strategies from 29 AI-powered edtech startups including Gradescope, Amira Learning, and Rytr.

December 15, 2022

Discord chatbot development

Custom 'Learn My Tools' Discord chatbot built with Voiceflow and Replit, accessing 201 documentation URLs from Figma, Miro, and Voiceflow.

July 12, 2023

Midjourney AI-generated workspace concept

AI-generated portrait images using Midjourney v5.2 for 'WeeeWork' co-learning space concept experiment.

June 28, 2023

Custom AI prompt guides for educators

Customized ChatGPT prompt guide created for a second-grade teacher covering topics like Writing and Storytelling, Gamification, and Assessment.

May 30, 2023

Process automation and employee ownership

How increased employee ownership of automation initiatives leads to better adoption and cultural impact, in collaboration with Nintex.

August 15, 2022

Tipalti global partner payments

How Tipalti simplifies global partner payments in edtech, featuring examples from Duolingo and Roblox.

August 10, 2022

Jul 2022 - Aug 2022

Adjunct Instructor

University of California, Berkeley Part-time Remote

In summer 2022, I developed and taught three online courses: “Marketing” and “Innovation” for high-achieving international high school students “Writing for Digital Media” for domestic and international Berkeley undergraduate students and visiting international students.

Department: UC Berkeley College Writing Program

Completion of summer 2022 teaching program

Celebrating the completion of summer online teaching program with guest speakers from Notion and Highwood Emissions Management.

July 01, 2022

May 2021 - Aug 2021

Specialist, Academics & Research

VIPKid Full-time Remote

Supported strategic research objectives

Team: Curriculum and Research (US)
Cross-functional with: Curriculum (China), Product (China), Community, Public Relations, Legal
Selected projects: Teacher research and white paper lead author

Feb 2021 - May 2021

Senior Curriculum Developer

VIPKid Full-time Remote

Supported a range of curriculum and assessment projects impacting 100,000 US-based online teachers and 800,000 China-based learners.

Team: Curriculum and Assessment (US) Cross-functional with: Curriculum (China), Product (China) Selected projects: Mentored China-based curriculum developers; developed framework-aligned multi-level scope and sequence; developed and reviewed interactive learning content

Contributed to VIPKid's comprehensive teaching guide

Aug 2019 - Feb 2021

Curriculum Developer

VIPKid Full-time Remote

Supported a range of curriculum and assessment projects impacting 100,000 US-based online teachers and 800,000 China-based learners.

Team: Curriculum and Assessment (US) Cross-functional with: Curriculum (China), Product (China), Community (US) Selected projects: Curriculum and training workshop facilitator (US-based teachers and China-based curriculum development team)

Jun 2018 - Aug 2021

Adjunct Instructor

Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey Part-time In-person

Developed and facilitated a range of custom language programs and courses.

Departments/Programs: Custom Language Services, English for Academic and Professional Purposes (EAPP), Intensive English Program (IEP), English Preparation for Graduate Studies (EPGS)

Selected projects: English for Disaster Management Professionals; English for Diplomats

Leading a collaborative language learning workshop

Teaching academic English concepts

Jul 2020 - Aug 2020

Adjunct Instructor

University of California, Berkeley Part-time Remote

In summer 2020, I developed and taught “Creative Nonfiction”, an online course for domestic and international Berkeley undergraduate students and visiting international students.

Department: UC Berkeley College Writing Program

Sep 2018 - Jul 2019

Language Coach & Training Facilitator

Ovient, Inc. Full-time In-person

Coached tech industry professionals, including senior leaders. Traveled to global and US headquarters throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. Worked directly with founders/CEOs to develop online learning and assessment content.

May 2018 - Feb 2019

Learning and Development Consultant

dKomplex, Inc. Part-time Remote

Worked directly with founder/CEO to build internal resources and grow a new business line.

Selected projects: Microsoft 365 CRM e-learning and virtual instruction; internship program and talent/learning pipeline.

Aug 2016 - Aug 2018

Professor of ESL

Savannah College of Art and Design Full-time In-person

Developed and taught undergraduate and graduate-level English for specific purposes courses and programs for international art and design students. Supported departmental professional development initiatives and mentored faculty.

Department and campus: SCAD Language Studio (Savannah) Selected projects: Research and Writing in Art and Design; Digital Storytelling; “Buzz into Fall” Orientation Programming

Teaching at SCAD Language Studio

Presenting at international ESP conference

SCAD Savannah campus

Jun 2015 - Aug 2016

Adjunct Instructor

Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey Part-time In-person

Developed and facilitated a range of custom language programs and courses.

Departments/Programs: Custom Language Services, English for Academic and Professional Purposes (EAPP), Intensive English Program (IEP), English Preparation for Graduate Studies (EPGS)

Selected projects: Writing and Research for Translation and Localization Management; English for Diplomats; Digital Media Literacy

Presenting on linking diagnostic and formative approaches

Integrating reflection and critical thinking into content-based courses

Mar 2014 - Feb 2015

Junior Account Executive & Copywriter

CV Strategies, Inc. Full-time In-person

Wrote copy for water district brochures, conservation campaigns, and nonprofit newsletters.

Community engagement and water conservation campaign

Education

Master of Arts (M.A.), Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages

Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey

Monterey, CA

Sep 2014 - May 2016

Honors: with Distinction, 4.0 GPA

Research focus on language education and applied linguistics

Bachelor of Arts (B.A.), Government

University of Redlands

Redlands, CA

Sep 2005 - May 2009

Study abroad: London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (semester); Chinese philosophy short course (month). Public Speaking concentration.

Teaching Philosophy

Situated & Ecological Learning

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Language learning happens through interactions between learners, their environments, and the communities they belong to, not through isolated exercises or mental processing alone. This approach means placing learning in real-world situations while examining how learners navigate different social groups, switch between the language expectations of home and school, and work within institutional structures that influence how they acquire language.

Dialogic & Social Construction

▼

Language develops through social interaction and connections between texts, contexts, and people, not through individual processing or one-way teaching. Learning happens when people build understanding together through collaborative activities, with social interaction driving the process and materials serving as tools that help people become part of language communities.

Transformational Identity Development

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Language learning changes learners' identity, motivation, and sense of self by affecting not just what students can say but who they can become. This transformation means teachers need to follow how students' identities evolve through their learning stories while supporting them through these changes.

Person-in-Context & Power Dynamics

▼

Learners and teachers should be understood as whole persons with their own histories, goals, and multiple identities. This means recognizing and addressing power imbalances by creating collaborative spaces instead of hierarchies, openly discussing language-related privileges, and building supportive relationships while staying aware of everyone's position and power dynamics.

Multi-Competence & Translingual Resources

▼

All languages a learner knows are interconnected resources that should be actively used rather than suppressed. The multilingual mind is greater than the sum of its parts. This means using first languages as support, making clear the cognitive connections between languages, and recognizing cross-language practices as natural and productive.

Communities of Practice & Socialization

▼

Language learning means moving from the edges to full participation in communities of practice, with proficiency meaning membership rather than abstract knowledge. This involves supporting learners' initial participation at the margins, helping them move toward core membership, and exposing them to authentic cultural interactions that teach practical communication skills alongside grammar.

Emergent Motivation & Collaborative Construction

▼

Motivation develops naturally through relationships and interactions rather than as fixed traits, growing through positive exchanges and connections to who learners might become. Knowledge builds collaboratively through democratic practices where teachers and students learn together through interaction rather than one-way teaching, with curriculum evolving through engagement with learner experiences.

Assessment & Professional Development

▼

Assessment should be systematic, ongoing, and woven into learning experiences, capturing development over time rather than single moments through portfolios and formative assessment. Teachers need to engage in continuous self-directed learning, collaboration, and critical reflection, maintaining the same growth mindset they expect from students.

Critical Consciousness & Institutional Awareness

▼

Language education should help students develop critical awareness about how educational institutions shape and limit learning. This means questioning assumptions about language and power, developing student agency, and addressing gaps between school and home while recognizing that schools are not neutral spaces and that language education is inherently political.

Complex Development & Integrated Skills

▼

Language acquisition follows complex, non-linear paths with skills developing holistically across linguistic, social, emotional, cognitive, and metacognitive dimensions. This ecological process means accepting individual variation, avoiding rigid sequencing, and creating authentic task environments where language learned in context transfers to real-world use.

Skills & Expertise

Languages

• English (Native)
• Spanish (Professional Working)

Core Competencies

• Language Program Management
• Curriculum Development & Assessment
• English for Specific Purposes (ESP)
• Online & Hybrid Course Design
• VR Language Learning Environments
• Professional Language Coaching
• Cross-functional Team Leadership

Certifications

• UX Nanodegree
• ClickUp Novice Certificate
• UI/UX Bootcamp

Spanish Language Learning Journey

797

Total Classes

Jan - Aug 2024

398.5

Hours of Practice

~50 hours/month

45+

Teachers

Diverse exposure

23

Classes/Week

Consistent practice

Monthly Progression

8 months of dedicated learning

▼

Peak Month: January 2024 - 175 classes (87.5 hours)

Best Quarter: Q2 2024 - 392 classes (49.2% of total)

Consistency: Active 150+ days with sustained daily practice

Teacher Relationships

Building fluency through consistent partnerships

▼

Teacher A Primary Teacher

239 classes (30.0%)

Teacher B Secondary Core

114 classes (14.3%)

Teacher C April Specialist

98 classes (12.3%)

Other Teachers (42+) Variety & Exposure

346 classes (43.4%)

Learning Patterns

When and how I learn best

▼

Peak Time

6-8 PM

54% of all classes

Preferred Format

Back-to-Back

76 hour-long sessions

Best Day

Tuesday

125 classes (15.7%)

Key Insights & Recommendations

Data-driven learning optimization

▼

Consistency Metrics

• Active Days: 240 days of engagement over 8-month period
• Class Days: ~150 days (62.5% of active period)
• Average Pace: 23 classes per week maintained throughout study period

Teacher Focus Strategy

• Primary Teacher: 30% of total classes with single instructor
• Top 3 Teachers: 56.6% of classes distributed among core instructors
• Total Exposure: 45+ different teachers across study period

Schedule Optimization

• Evening Focus: 79% of classes scheduled after 4 PM
• Back-to-Back Sessions: 31.8% of classes taken consecutively
• Peak Usage: 54% of classes concentrated in 6-8 PM time block

Learning Progression Phases

1. Early Exploration (Jan): 175 classes - Foundation building with multiple teachers
2. Adjustment Period (Feb-Mar): 154 classes - Finding rhythm and patterns
3. Strong Rebound (Apr): 144 classes - Intensive focused effort
4. Peak Performance (Jun): 141 classes - Maximum intensity with primary teacher
5. Summer Maintenance (Jul): 75 classes - Sustained consistency