Curriculum Development
Having taught in four states, I am aware of the similarities and differences that govern curriculum development. My skill set includes developing standard-based curriculum in theatre arts (both studio performative and classroom scholastic), public speaking, business management, creativity, and English literature at secondary school and university levels. I have done this work for individual secondary and university programs as well as consulting for the Massachusetts Department of Education. This work has ranged from creating new programs with multiple courses to modifying and updating existing courses.
My consulting management career in high tech gave me an excellent foundation in strategic and tactical planning. Through experience, I learned to examine every situation’s needs and develop short-, medium-, and long-term goals to meet those needs. An example of this approach is my current initiative to create a Center for Hispanic and Latin American Theatre Studies at St. Mary’s University. Upon becoming Drama Department chair, aware that our largest student demographic group did not have the opportunity to study or perform much material tied to their cultural heritage, I created courses with content that aligned with our interdisciplinary Mexican-American Studies program, including Theatre for Social Change and Justice and Latino Theatre Activism. The department is planning to produce at least one play or musical from this genre each academic year. I’ve also arranged for Hispanic and Latin American actor and playwright artists to visit the campus to work with students.
