(This is a "Now" page. You can learn more about them at nownownow.com)
I'm living in West Fargo, ND with my wife and 2 sons. My daughter is living in Colorado. I'm in my 13th year as a web technology specialist at North Dakota State University (NDSU). I'm also leading the Military Families Learning Network's Network Literacy team. I recently completed my Master's degree in Extension Education at NDSU. My thesis research is on the correlation between participation in programs aimed at women in agriculture (educational programs, leadership programs, conferences, etc.) and individual resilience (here's my Master's thesis).
I am nearing the end of a two-year project to overhaul the NDSU Agriculture website. It's the biggest project I've ever lead with a budget of ~$350,000 and three different contractors. My team and I developed a new engagement strategy that has guided the development of the content architecture and content management system, and spent thousands of hours planning, discussing, negotiating, and worrying. It will be extremely exciting to see the new site go live in a few months.
My friend and collaborator Jessica Beckendorf and I continue to work together. We produce the podcast, "Practicing Connection in a Complex World", for the Military Families Learning Network, which is in its second season. Recently we facilitated the co-creation of "Connecting Communities in Asset-based Disaster Recovery," a series of workshops, webinar and resource booklet to help people work with each other to build community resilience.
I have put my Working Differently in Extension podcast on hiatus for more than a year now, but there are 104 episodes of the podcast still available on SoundCloud. Have a listen and let me know what you think.
I mentioned John Stepper above. John's work continues to be an important touchstone in my work on facilitating a network mindset and exploring community and resilience. The work of Harold Jarche, Adrienne Maree Brown, Curtis Ogden, Michael Ungar, and many others is so critical to my work and my life. Thanks for the inspiration!
Updated April 2021.