Résumé

Adjunct Faculty, Loras College, January 2017 – Present, I’m an instructor for Democracy and Global Diversity, a Liberal Studies class that examines two distinct cultures at a point of crisis and compares how each responds to the demands of democracy. The course is designed to play a key role in a Loras College education by promoting reflective thinking and ethical decision-making about democracy through active learning techniques. Students in this course consider the particular issues involved in the formation and maintenance of a democratic social order. The exploration of democracy requires students to examine three important factors impacting a society’s understanding of justice, namely authority, community, and privilege.

Social Justice Co-Chair, St. Luke’s United Methodist Church, 1 January 2015 – present
This ministry area supports Social Justice locally and beyond by responding to human issues in the contemporary world. With my Co-Chair, I keep the church informed about current issues affecting “the strangers in our midst”. I also volunteer with immigrants living in the Dubuque community, primarily through Dubuque for Refugee Children (abbreviated D4RC). D4RC Board meetings are held at St. Luke’s. I also meet with the unaccompanied minors D4RC serves and their family members at St. Luke’s. The East Central District of the Iowa Conference of the Methodist Church has nominated me to be the District representative on the standing committee that oversees Iowa Justice for our Neighbors (JFON), a legal organization that grew out of the United Methodist Committee on Relief in 1989. Iowa JFON has existed since 1999. This four-year term would begin 1 July 2018. Iowa JFON has monthly clinics in Cedar Rapids, Columbus Junction, Decorah, Des Moines, Ottumwa, Marshalltown and Storm Lake. I helped organize Iowa JFON’s first clinic in Dubuque in April 2018 with Catholic Charities. I previously attended quarterly meetings organized by the Legal Director for Iowa JFON and liaison for the Iowa Chapter of American Immigration Lawyers Association with the Community Relations Officer for USCIS District 15, at the USCIS Field Office in Des Moines, Iowa. These meetings were discontinued after Chuck Pratt retired. The Executive Director of Iowa JFON and I attended the same session of “Developing and Sustaining an Immigration Program”, offered by CLINIC in January 2018.

Communications & Humanities (adjunct/substitute) Faculty, Northeast Iowa Community College, January 2013 – December 2017, I’ve had classes assigned to me since Fall 2014, but prior to that (and still occasionally) I substituted in PAVE Alternative High School (Peosta); Developmental Adult Basic Education, English for Speakers of Other Languages and HiSED (formerly GED) Learning Center (Dubuque). I’ve taught Composition 1, Composition 2, Foundations in Writing, Introduction to Literature and Reading and Writing in the Associate Program and History and Government in the PAVE program.

Assistant Clerk (Paralegal Intern), Consumer Protection Division, Iowa Department of Justice, 1 October 2012 – 4 February 2013 • Worked under supervision of William L. Brauch, Special Assistant Attorney General, Director Consumer Protection Division • Assisted AAGs Steven St. Clair and Jessica Whitney and Investigator Holly Merz with creating litigation and investigation documents

Continuing Legal Education, Drake Law & Education Schools & Des Moines Area Community College, June 2011 – December 2012;

Substitute Teacher, PAVE Alternative High School Program at Northeast Iowa Community College, 1 October 2012 – Present

Civil Rights Complaint Screener, Iowa Civil Rights Commission, 14 February – 4 May 2012, Reviews complaints of discrimination in employment filed with the Iowa Civil Rights Commission pursuant to state and federal law; Identifies specific basis for complaints; Analyzes and reviews evidence received from parties; Applies applicable statutes and legal standards to determine if there is probable cause to believe discrimination occurred; Provides an efficient and effective written synopsis of complainant’s allegations, respondent’s evidence and applies well reasoned and clear evaluations of legal standards to same; Demonstrates thorough knowledge and understanding of what constitutes discrimination, including but not limited to the Iowa Civil Rights Act, Title VII, ADA, ADEA, and Fair Housing Standards Act;

Author, “Designing a Campus for African-American Females: The National Training School for Women and Girls 1907 – 1964 and the Making of a D.C. Neighborhood”, International Journal of Interdisciplinary Social Science, Volume 5, Number 12 (August 2011)

Transit Board of Trustees, City of Dubuque,14 January 2011 – Present

Substitute Teacher, Dubuque Community School District, 1 September 2010 – Present, * Follow instructions left by regular teacher for preparing class activities, establishing clear objectives for all lessons, communicating those objectives to students, and instructing through lectures, discussions, and demonstrations in that day’s subject, * Establish and Enforce rules for behavior and procedures maintaining order among students

Presenter, “Designing a Campus for African-American Females”, International Conference on Interdisciplinary Social Sciences, Murray Edwards College, Cambridge, 4 August 2010

State of Iowa, Middle-High School Substitute Authorization, 25 January 2010 – Present

Rules, Nominations & Volunteer Chair / Office Manager, Dubuque County Democrats, 23 January 2010 – present; I attended the precinct caucuses on Saturday 23 January and was selected Chair of the Rules & Nominations Committee for the County Convention on Saturday 20 March. From there I went on the serve as Vice-Chair of the Rules & Nominations Committee for the district convention on 24 April and the state convention on 12 June. When the Dubuque County Democrats opened up our office for the campaign season beginning that month, I served as the Office Manger and Volunteer Coordinator close to fulltime. I started writing an electronic newsletter and helped with updating the website and other records, which have been my main duties as Volunteer Coordinator since we closed the office at the end of November.

Legislative Clerk, Iowa State Representative Charles Isenhart, 11 January – 31 March 2010 *Coordinated State Representative’s daily schedule and prepared confidential correspondence *Utilized Microsoft Word, Excel, Outlook and Publisher to increase efficiency in serving the public *Researched background information and other relevant information for bills and amendments *Managed virtual and traditional contacts with approximately 30,000 constituents in Dubuque.

Human Rights Commission, City of Dubuque, appointed 22 December 2009 – Present, We have monthly meetings following the rules of parliamentary procedure and Iowa’s open meetings law. We occasionally hold public forums, such as the roundtable I organized in July 2010 for the 20th anniversary of the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Allegations of discrimination under the City of Dubuque’s Human Rights Ordinance are investigated by Human Rights Department staff, and an Administrative Law Judge issues findings. After findings, a complainant can ask for a Right-to-Sue letter to move to an administrative court, or proceed to a public hearing at which the Human Rights Commission makes legally binding decisions.

Presenter, “Brooks, Pratt, &the Romantic Picturesque at UVa”; Jefferson, Palladio, &the Fine Arts in America Symposium; 21 November 2009

Architectural, Parliamentary & Writing Consultant, 1 September 2009 – Present, I do the kind of things you see on this website.

University of Virginia, Master of Architectural History / Certificate in Historic Preservation, 18 May 2008; Master of Urban and Environmental Planning, 30 December 2008

Co-Curator and Research Assistant, Village to Grounds: Architecture after Jefferson at UVA, 24 February  – 26 September 2009, Exhibit on display through July 2010. 2009 marked the 100th anniversary of the completion of the McKim, Mead, and White expansion to central grounds. Out of this grew the idea for a retrospective of the various architectural cycles that have occurred in the 184 years since the Jefferson campus was completed. I was part of a team of six that met fortnightly. I started out writing first drafts of building descriptions. Then I moved to culling Special Collections for items to include in the exhibit. After that I arranged for the scanning of items we would be using facsimiles of, verified our digital orders, and compiled a DVD of images for each of the 9 sections in the exhibit to be sent to the panel designers . With another team member, I did a spatial comparison of male and female residence halls built at UVa in the 1950’s. My last tasks were arranging for the transfer of some items we borrowed from an Architect, and writing exhibit labels. After the physical exhibit closed it was archived at: https://explore.lib.virginia.edu/exhibits/show/architecture-after-jefferson

Teacher, Summer Enrichment Program, signed contracts mid-March 2009, received last paycheck mid-August 2009; I designed and taught two classes in the Summer Enrichment Program run by the Curry School of Education at UVa for middle and high school students. My morning class was “Architectural Literacy” for 7th and 8th graders. Architectural Literacy means knowing how to read the Built Environment and understanding what various architectural terms mean. Students learned about the disciplines of Architectural, Interior, and Landscape Design; Rural, Regional, Urban, Neighborhood and Environmental Planning; and Architectural History. Students used drawing, photography, and model making to analyze, and appreciate the built environment as the result of artistic, cultural, and natural forces. My afternoon course was “Ways of Seeing” for 5th and 6th graders. Ways of Seeing was an introduction to how art can change the way we see the world. Students worked with drawing pencils, charcoal, colored pencils and crayons, oil pastels, watercolor pencils, crayons, and paints, Acrylic paints, tempura paint, collage, and clay.

Teaching Assistant, Architecture 101, 26 August – 15 December 2008, With two other T.A.s I led a discussion section of ten undergraduates. Over the course of the semester we reviewed 11 exercises, graded a midterm and a final exam, looked over our students’ sketchbooks twice, and had one-on-one meetings with them.

Inventory Assistant, Computing Office, 12 September 2006 – 10 February 2009, I was in charge of organizing and updating the computing inventory for UVa’s School of Architecture using CocoaMySql and other database management software.

Brochure Researcher, Dubuque County Historical Society, 22 May – 17 August 2007, I put together five walking/driving tours of Historic Dubuque, from deciding what should be on each tour, to the order and all of the research.

National Foundation for Ectodermal Dysplasia Scholarship, 2006-07

Virginia Fellowship, 2006-07;

Dupont Fellowship, 2007-08;

Grinnalds Quasi Endowment, 2008, UVa

Member, Student Planning Association, American Planning Association, and Society of Architectural Historians, September 2008 – present

Member, U.S./ICOMOS, February 2008 – January 2010

Webmistress, Society of Architectural Historians – Thomas Jefferson Chapter, May 2007 – August 2008, www.arch.virginia.edu/SAH/

Praticar, Kloster Eberbach, Rheingau, Germany, June – July 2007, During each of the five weeks, I shadowed the Architectural Director of Large Projects, a Landscape Architect, an Engineer, an Archaeologist, and an accountant as they oversaw the Restoration, Renovation, and Preservation of a former Monastery – now a conference center for the state of Hessen.

Attendee, Team 007 Meetings, June 2005 – October 2007, Team 007 was a group of people helping to prepare for the 2007 National Trust for Historic Preservation Conference to be held in the Twin Cities. I started attending their meetings the last full summer I lived in Minneapolis/St. Paul and continued to attend meetings whenever I was in the Cities until the conference was held in October 2007.

University of Edinburgh, visiting student, fall 2004, fall 2005, spring 2006

Intern, Scottish Parliament, February – April 2006, I assisted Dr. Elaine Murray, MSP for  constituency of Dumfries & Galloway, and did a Post Occupancy Evaluation of Holyrood Parliament Building.

Ordinary Representative, Edinburgh University Student Association, Oct 2005 – May 2006, In American English, this would be the same as being an “at-large” representative, in this case I represented the students who are in their first year at Edinburgh, whether they’re Freshman, transfer students, or visiting students. I’m was a member of the Welfare Committee.

Treasurer, Edinburgh University International Student Center, September 2005 – May 2006, My main responsibility is to oversee how we spend our 3600GBP budget, but I’m also in charge of the buying of supplies and the weekly shopping for the center (we provide a place for International Students to have a “cupa” coffee, tea, or hot chocolate, eat biscuits, and read papers from around the world. Since the International Student Center’s Core Committee does not have Vice President or Secretarial positions, my duties also include filling in for the President when needed and keeping track of business at our meetings.

University of Minnesota – Twin Cities, Bachelor of Individualized Studies, 12 May 2006, Architectural Conservation, Mass Communication, and Women’s Politics.

Mentor, Architecture, the Weisman, and You August 2004, August 2005, August 2006, I worked with a group of high school students that are interested in Architecture. I gave them a tour of campus architecture, went on firm tours with them, and helped facilitate their design of a café the first year and a sculpture garden tower the second.

Archivist, Dubuque County Historical Society, Summers of 1999, 2004, and 2005; I was able to use my knowledge as a collector of antique and reproduction clothing and my experiences on costume crew at my High School and the Grand Opera House to identify and label the Historical Society’s shoe collection. My architectural interest in historic preservation was used to label and preserve old maps and other delicate documents.

Communication and Volunteer Retention Intern, Girl Scout Council of Greater Minneapolis, 31 May – 29 July 2005; I put together volunteer e-newsletters, conducted a survey of 18-29 year old  volunteers, and put together a report on recommendations to help retain those volunteers.

RHA – MSA Liaison , February – May 2005, I attended both the Residence Hall Association’s and the Minnesota Student Association’s general body / forum meetings and acted as a conduit of information between the two. MSA is the overall student government for the 35,000 undergraduates on campus. In addition, I served on MSA’s Campus Relations Committee and RHA’s Educational Programming Committee, a committee I first served on as a first year student.

Cultural Center Committee , February – May 2005, I attended weekly board of governors meetings for one of the cultural centers on campus (they are all registered non profits) and every three weeks meet with representatives from the other cultural centers.

Intern, Sen. Harkin’s Dubuque Office, June – August 2004, I assisted the Senator and his staff with meeting the needs of his constituents by answering phone questions and writing letters for citizens with concerns.

Columnist, The Minnesota Daily, 2 September 2003 – 28 April 2005,  My column appeared bi-monthly in the largest student-run newspaper in the country with a circulation of 31,000. My research skills were definitely improved by this job. My columns were transmitted across the country by the U-wire system, two of my columns were reprinted in Dubuque’s Telegraph Herald and one was chosen for inclusion in America Now, a college textbook on writing about contemporary issues. At UVa I contributed to The Declaration 2007 to 2008.

President, Residence Hall Association, May 2003- May 2004l I was responsible for running the student government for the 6400 students that lived in University owned housing. I planned our meetings, edited our newsletter, maintained our constitution, wrote press releases, formatting the official copies of all RHA materials, and met with the leaders of other student groups and university administrators on a regular basis.

U-Crew (peer mentor) , September 2003 – May 2004, I was responsible for programming for the German, Scandinavian, and Dutch Section of the Language House, a living/learning community for students interested in world languages. I also attended Meetings of the German, Scandinavian, and Dutch Department’s Undergraduate Steering Committee.

Member, National Residence Hall Honorary, Inducted 6 December 2002, The Golden Chapter of the National Residence Hall Honorary (NRHH) is affiliated with RHA, regional and national residence hall organizations. The Golden Chapter is composed of the top 1% of Residence Hall students at the University of Minnesota and is responsible for recognizing the students and programs that have contributed most to the University community each month. I was awarded a Bronze Pin from the Golden Chapter in 2003. (Only eight of these are awarded a year. )

Member, American Institute of Architecture Students, Sept 2002 – 2004, I attended the National AIAS conference over New Years 2003 in Chicago and I authored a letter addressing the pros and cons of “Studio Culture”.

Vice-president, Residence Hall Association, May 2002- May 2003

Tutor, Lauj Youth Society of Minnesota, Inc., October 2001 – March 2000

RHA Educational Representative, Centennial Hall Council, Sept. 2001- Sept. 2002

National Scholarship, University of Minnesota – Twin Cities, F2001 – S2005

National Foundation for Ectoderm Dysplasia Scholarship, 2001

Andrew Vernon Student Leadership Scholarship, Dubuque Senior High School, 2001

Dubuque Senior High School, Dubuque, Iowa, class of 2001