Something about me

Two words link most of my professional experiences: Teaching and Learning.  I have been a manager, a career advisor, and a business consultant specializing in training and organizational development projects.  Through it all, I have been passionate about learning new things and trying new ideas.

In the Fall of 2010 I joined the faculty of Drake University.  As an Assistant Professor at the Adult Learning and Organizational Performance master's program, I teach research, change leadership, and training and development courses. I love Drake and have adapted quickly to Des Moines. This is a perfect big-small town, with everything a big town has to offer and none of the big town woes.

About ten years ago, I co-founded a consulting firm specializing in leadership development and employee engagement.  I had great experiences at that firm including the opportunity to travel extensively and conduct diversity, leadership, and team training programs in various countries such as Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Peru, Chile, Colombia, and Finland.

Finally, I am the Chief Evangelist of Linked:HR, a networking group on LinkedIn. As of December of 2011 we had over 500,000 members worldwide!

My education is diverse (and fitting!). I have a bachelor's degree in History Education and two master's degrees: one in Vocal Pedagogy (believe it or not, I used to sing Opera!) and the second one in Training and Development.  My doctorate is in Leadership Studies (Bowling Green State University, December 2008). 

On a personal note, I'm originally from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and have lived in the United States for seventeen years. My family and I live near Lima, Ohio with a variety of animals who still struggle to grasp the concepts of good team and diversity relations!