I have been a member of the academic community since 2003, when I first started college as a first-generation student. During my experience as a student and eventually educator and administrator, I encountered and overcame a great number of obstacles. As an agent of the academy, I felt obligated to create practical opportunities for success for all of my students. When I began to advocate for my students, I was told to stay in my lane. I became tired with the slow moving wheels of bureaucracy, lack of opportunities to contribute to improving educational opportunities for my students, and the limitations placed on me as an educator. So, in August 2019 I began to lay the foundation of what would become this organization, and in December 2019 I resigned my position as tenured professor of sociology and started the Chicago Education Advocacy Cooperative. Currently we serve approximately 30 students, 2 faculty, and 1 institution. We have 4 members of our advocacy team. We are working to advocate for change in education at a time when the walls of academia appear to be closing in. If you need guidance, mentorship, or otherwise support as you attempt to navigate the ever-changing landscape of education, please contact us for a free consultation.

Tutoring in English and Math to an average of 3 students per weekProvide referrals for personal counseling and other services not available on campus to Respiratory Therapy studentsConnect students and faculty with IT help either directly or through the SAC Help DeskDaily academic monitoring, including grades and attendance10-15 phone call contacts per day with students 20-25 text message contacts per day with3-5 in-person contacts per day with students135-170 student caseload Satisfactory Progress (SAP) appeals and grade appealsGuidance, assistance, and support for students with complaints against faculty and/or staffGraduation applications including regalia ordering and coordination of deliveryCoordination of services through Career and Transfer CenterDirect liaison services with other departments, including Financial Aid and Bursar’s Office (student accounts)Help with external scholarships

Providing vision and leadership to support student achievement and effective operations by supervising staff, developing and implementing performance management plans, identifying professional learning needs and participating in professional learning opportunities.Effectively participating in the employment process to ensure an effective site team is in place. Provide supervision through assigning work, helping create personal development plans, consistently monitoring and evaluating employee effectiveness and communicating and coaching employee development. Actively recognizing accomplishments and address issues to ensure productive site operations.Ensuring the safety of staff and students by maintaining the site and classrooms for operation.Ensuring compliance with contract and specific ISBE and CPS requirements. Ensuring that all staff are knowledgeable of the specific success criteria outlined in the contract and any requirements set forth by the state.Performing a wide range of managerial responsibilities including, but not limited to: staff supervision, scheduling, technology and facilities.Representing Ombudsman at community, district and local levels. Communicate and collaborate with families, district and community members.

Here I teach Introduction to Sociology courses online using Banner and Blackboard interfaces. My job description states that I was responsible for maintaining a grade book, syllabi and course calendars updating, grading papers, holding office hours, and engaging students entirely in the virtual classroom environment. Over the years I challenged myself to create edutainment - film, audio, photography - for the course to make the material come alive for the next generations of sociologist. Please find a list of the courses I taught at Ivy Tech Community College below.

Teaching at Indiana University-Purdue University at Columbus (IUPUC) as part of the sociology department requires quite the large hatrack. In the nearly four years of teaching at IUPUC my responsibilities as an adjunct faculty member of the sociology department have grown considerably. I was recruited by IUPUC to build a medical sociology minor curriculum designed to enrich the experiences of nurses at IUPUC. Together we, the department coordinator and I, designed 5 courses to include as part of the medical sociology minor curriculum. Also, we designed a research-based Urban Sociology course where we took 14 students to Paris and London. Outside of the classroom I serve as a student mentor to IUPUC students helping them to find answers in their mistakes and grow intellectually. Please find a list of the courses I have taught at IUPUC below.

As full-time instructor of sociology at Morton College, I was tasked with the following: (1) teaching a minimum of 5 classes - mostly Introduction to Sociology - per semester, (2) contributing to the overall success of students and fellow faculty alike, (3) serving the community of Morton College by linking students with service opportunities, and (4) generally working to progress the mission of Morton College.In my 5 years at Morton College I was awarded tenure, recognized as the full-time faculty member and student advisor of the year in 2016, served as Phi Theta Kappa - Theta Omicron Chapter co-advisor, and served as chair of the Student Relations Committee for the Faculty Assembly in 2019.

As a Telephone Interviewer for the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago my duties and responsibilities include: (1) following survey protocol, (2) accurate and valid recording of data into a CATI-based system, and (3) confidential and private recording of respondent responses.

In 2005 I decided to explore the world of freelance journalism. I used my training in web publishing to build a blog with the intent of sharing personal stories, reflections, and other interpretations related to sociology - medical sociology in particular. In the beginning I was the only member of the team. Naturally, I decided to serve as editor-in-chief. My duties presently include structuring and organization of the firm. I oversee projects including grant writing, interviews, education, music, photography, film, marketing, design, branding, writing and copyediting, and community outreach. Operating this media firm gave me experience in blogging, social media marketing, qualitative interview skills, quantitative data analysis, professional writing, and video production.

I was an instructor of sociology at Butler University. My primary duties included designing and teaching bother upper and lower level courses. I taught the Sociology of Sports, Medical Sociology and a 300-level service-learning course AIDS in Society. Other duties included recruitment for our major, photography for department literature, internship agreements, and generally working to enrich the department and students of varying majors and diverse backgrounds. Please find a list of the courses I taught at Butler University below.

As a project manager and HIV tester/counselor I was responsible for: (1) screening emergency room patients for HIV using Oraquick Tests, (2) providing results to tests to patient confidentially, (3) educating patients about HIV transmission, and (4) helping patients with HIV/AIDS get the care they need after they receive their results. I am currently a volunteer for the program. Other responsibilities included HIV patient outreach, medical student training, qualitative research, and conference presentations.

I was the chair of the Epidemiology Committee where I oversaw the completion of the annual HIV/AIDS population population prioritization process. We conducted quantitative analysis using data collected by the Indiana State Department of Health (ISDH) on people tested for HIV, living with HIV/AIDS, and those accessing resources through ISDH funded care coordination sites.

As a freelance writer my duties were to: (1) interview artists of various media - mostly music, (2) conduct research to prepare for the interview, (3) and generally work to keep the publication relevant, interesting, and visually appealing. I've written over 20 articles with 2 covers. As a photographer, it is my responsibility to document interviewees, food, people on the street, or any other part of the story to include with the story. Working as freelance writer and photographer for Metromix Indianapolis contributed mightily to the development of my writing voice and style. Unfortunately, due to budget cuts, Metromix was forced to shutdown.