Open Innovation Centers is a group of educators and industry professionals with a mission to uplift the local community by nurturing innovators and creators. Our vision is to establish a network of innovation centers where learning, employment, and play seamlessly integrate, supporting our communities in transformative and engaging ways.

After a short learning break to strengthen my skills- I returned full time to Ninja Pandas in 2022 to bring all I had learned from working in Invention Ed with Lemelson-MIT to offer local programming and pursue an innovation center to service our local community. I launched Open Innovation as pop up programming to offer invention education programming to classrooms and community organizations. I currently support the Lodi Unified School District inLodi and Stockton schools. I provide Professional development for all of their Summer, Fall and Spring intersession STEAM programming. I also created an Open Innovation program for one elementary school and three middle school after school programs where I provide tools, curriculum and coaching support for after school facilitators. In November 2023 Ninja Pandas joined the New Collar Network to offer New Collar 3d printing classes to middle school students, middle school teachers, a pre apprenticeship program for teens and a 12 week boot camp for a 3d print Master Technicians certificate in 3d printing. This programming is industry recognized and provides a certificate and digital badge from the New Collar Network. We will be the first site in CA to offer these courses.

Promote Invention Education and facilitate collaboration between the Lemelson-MIT program and educators supporting Kindergarten through community college learners. Invention education promotes self directed student learning by solving real world challenges important to students and their communities. Currently working on a High School/Community college computer science course that fuses Invention with Computer Science and sustainable design.

Worked to create an Invention education curriculum that fuses computer science with invention and sustainable design for high school students.

An educational technology company focused on teaching technology and creative problem solving to students from third grade and up. We provide programming locally, working directly with schools, the World of Wonders Science Museum and the Lodi Pubic Library.

Created a CTE computer science curriculum Inventing Smart Objects - teaching the basics of code and electronics to high school students. I taught in the classroom for one year and supported other teachers within the district who were teaching the curriculum for an additional year.

Prepared and taught Professional Practices for all graduating art majors in graphic design, web design and multi media. Course covers how to create a brand identity consistent across a resume and cover letter, business card, print and web portfolio design. Class lectures cover how to create business proposals, contracts, work for yourself, how to start your own business, grants, networking and social media. I mix lectures with my personal experience doing multi media consulting and mobile development. To date I have helped over 197 students create their brand identity and portfolio sites.

Lecturer in Web & Interactive Design Program. Responsible for planning and conducting classes including Professional Practices, Production Planning, Senior Project Development, Interface Design, Beginning Web Design, Digital Branding & Identity.

Founding partner responsible for all business operations, sales and marketing of a three member multi media consulting and app development company. While active on the business side, I was also part of the creative process, generating ideas, finding them funding and bringing them to fruition.

Retail Sales manager overseeing teams of 15-17 people in seven day a week, 14 hour a day high trafficenvironment. Responsible for managing personnel including hiring, monitoring, goal setting, disciplinary tasks while driving team to hit or exceed sales goals set by corporate. Tracked inventory and navigated reports and store paperwork. Worked with team to ensure that safety and corporate audit requirements were always met.Worked to diffuse and effectively resolve customer issues with humility and grace. Focused on shapingcommunity morale within our customers and staff as seen in our unique iPhone launches where I collaborated with local vendors to bring food and drinks to customers waiting in line to keep spirits high and all participants safe, fed and hydrated during long wait times.

Retail Sales manager responsible for meeting sales goals, hiring, training and mentoring a staff of approximately 10 store employees. Our location was in a historically low volume shopping center. I raised sales by starting and conducting Nextel Cafe, a weekly series of classes that taught customers how to use their phones and learn about new technologies as text based internet first became available on handsets.

Conducted a public opinion poll and a series of focus groups of likely Oakland voters for the Downtown Oakland Merchants Association. Wrote press releases and fielded print and television news interviews on poll results.