When I was little, one of my favorite things to do was play 'school' with my friends, so it wasn't surprising when I earned my degree in elementary and special education, nor is it surprising that I am now shifting my focus to adult learning through Instructional Design and Development. One of my favorite parts of being a special educator was completing educational assessments and writing Individualized Education Plans (IEPs) because I thrived on the challenge of identifying a problem and formulating a solution. This was a job I saw myself doing for a very long time, but sometimes life has other plans for us. Fast forward a few years to when I became a parent. I was living in an area with few options for quality childcare. I began working on opening my own business as a way to turn my personal problem into a solution for my community. Over the past 13 years, I have evolved into a Multi-tasking Ninja (aka business owner) that still gets a thrill from the challenge of identifying a problem and finding a great solution. My passion for teaching remains, but my focus is now on ways to keep my employees/adult learners engaged, inspired and to help them to thrive in our field. Learning should be meaningful and engaging; therefore, I strive to design and develop learning solutions that motivate, and always with a challenge in mind. Since we opened in 2010, I have enjoyed every minute of designing and developing a variety of successful adult learning opportunities for the 38 employees of my business that have resulted in increased productivity, revenue, efficiency and quality. All along, I was unknowingly conducting needs analysis, designing and developing learning modules, microlearning opportunities, job aids and more, but I never realized that what I was doing had a name...INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGN! When it dawned on me that one of the many hats I wear was serving as my company's resident Instructional Designer, I embarked on a journey to learn more. I have successfully completed the Applied Instructional Design Academy to hone my skills and have become proficient in using Articulate Rise, Articulate Storyline, Camtasia, and more to enhance the employee experience and benefit my business. As I turn the page to begin the next chapter in my story, I am excited to shed a few hats from my wardrobe and wear my Instructional Designer hat more permanently, however I will always be a Multi-Tasking Ninja that simply loves the challenge of helping others learn. I welcome you to contact me so that we can work together to get the most out of your employees!