Patty Stephan Email and Phone Number

I developed flexible online learning programs to train and certify the new generation of construction leaders. I was focused on NCCER's Construction Leadership Series, which includes the Construction Foreman Certification Program and the Construction Foreman Certification Program. I sourced and managed industry subject matter experts, edited their content and wrote supplementary content, defined and developed a video program, and pulled all the content together to create an outstanding online learning experience.NCCER (The National Center for Construction Education and Research) is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) education foundation created in 1996, developed with the support of more than 125 construction CEOs and various association and academic leaders who united to revolutionize training for the construction industry. Sharing the common goal of developing a safe and productive workforce, these companies created a standardized training and credentialing program for the industry. This progressive program has evolved into curricula for more than 70 craft areas offered in over 6,000 NCCER-accredited training and assessment locations across the United States. NCCER’s workforce development process of accreditation, instructor certification, standardized curriculum, registry, assessment, and certification is a key component in the industry’s workforce development efforts. NCCER also drives multiple initiatives to enhance career development and recruitment efforts for the industry, primarily through its Build Your Future initiative. NCCER is headquartered in Alachua, Florida, and is affiliated with the University of Florida's M.E. Rinker, Sr. School of Construction Management.

Achieved perfect engagement survey score from direct reports in twelve categories, which encompassed managerial effectiveness, coaching/support, employee recognition, motivation, career development, linking corporate goals to department objectives, accountability, respect, commitment, open communication, and feeling valued.Championed agile workflow optimization. Embraced Smartsheet as a scheduling tool, enabling my team to demonstrate success to the rest of the organization and leading the charge to move from Excel. Advocated for maintenance of accurate product data to enable rapid reporting and workload analysis. Held biweekly high-value process improvement meetings with team that resulted in rapidly actionable improvements.Pioneer in XML-based content delivery. Researched, developed, and implemented end-to-end XML content workflow years before competitors, dramatically improving project schedules and slashing costs by 30%. Continued positive impact by partnering with digital production leadership to optimize inputs and workflows, achieving additional cost and time savings.Developed and led innovative content corrections process. Identified company-wide critical deficiency, requested and received approval to research it, proposed solution, received immediate approval, and proceeded with implementation of new workflow and tools to ensure errors reported in any product format were corrected in all product formats. Created JIRA-based tracking system to ensure consistency and transparency. Resulted in strong buy-in from sales and marketing, increased customer satisfaction, fewer customer escalations. Established vendor partnerships. Regular meetings and check-ins and goal sharing resulted in a high level of consistency, rapid product planning and delivery, process efficiencies, cost savings, and ongoing cost/benefit analysis. Partnership model facilitated improved simultaneous delivery of print and digital content, as well as supplements.

This is where I started as part of Thomson Learning. I worked my way up through many positions (Associate Editor, Ancillaries Editor, Editor, and finally into Production Editor, Production Coordinator, and Senior Production Editor, and Production Manager). Then boyd & fraser merged with another Thomson company, Course Technology. I remained with Course Technology as Director of Production from that time. Course Technology later became Cengage Learning.