Experience

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  Bark and Byte, LLC

  • Senior Instructional Design Consultant

    • Apr 2013 - Present

    No cookie-cutter training here! As Senior Instructional Designer, I design and develop effective, customized training that’s right for our clients, backed by solid ADDIE processes.Recent projects have included:* Senior Instructional Designer/Project Manager for national insurance company. To streamline training and reduce required classroom time, I redesigned a five-day, instructor-led course for new agents into a blended curriculum of self-paced prerequisites and two instructor-led workshops. Content included product knowledge, sales techniques, and case study role-play exercises. * Senior Instructional Designer of change management and SAP implementation training for Fortune 500 client’s Finance, Order Management, and R&D teams. I also collaborated with the training team to establish standards for all deliverables.* Training Project Manager of several projects for financial services client. I managed curriculum design efforts, plus the ID and programming of online courses on Customer Relationship Management software.

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  University of Pittsburgh College of Business Administration

  • Pittsburgh, PA

  • Lecturer

    • Aug 2015 - Present
    • Pittsburgh, PA

    Adjunct Faculty, Fundamentals of Business Communications. This course introduces Pitt Business undergrads to the key elements of business writing, presentations and interpersonal communications.

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  PNC Financial Services Group

  • United States
  • Financial Services
  • 700 & Above Employee

  • AVP, Training & Design Specialist

    • May 2008 - Apr 2013

    In this role, I designed effective instructional programs for multiple business segments. Specifically, I project-managed design and development teams; built strong relationships with business partners, vendors, and training teams; performed needs and audience analyses; developed training materials for online, facilitator-led, and self-study programs; led team meetings and review sessions; and managed implementation and evaluation efforts.* As Lead Instructional Designer for seven integration initiatives, I created training to prepare the acquired Retail Branch employees for Day One readiness. - For an integration with a 15-week development schedule, I helped to streamline the instructional design process, created curricula for five Retail Branch positions (145 employees), and managed 60 training projects developed by 7 designers. I also developed product training for five audiences and coordinated three Train the Trainer sessions. - For three integrations, I managed Dual Disclosure web-based training, a high-profile course that required the input and approval of 10 subject-matter experts. I developed an efficient review process; ensured on-time delivery; and adapted course content for five job-specific programs. - I established an Integration Product Strategy for sharing similar product content among multiple programs. Implementation resulted in efficient use of design resources, consistent content delivered to all audiences, and increased satisfaction from business partners.* Identifying the need for a more efficient method of compiling Level 3 evaluation data, I created a new process that utilized existing technology. The pilot's positive results (overall, 4.5 out of 5) verified that training objectives had been met. I also helped to create implementation guidelines for other training teams.* For a virtual Train the Trainer, I developed and co-facilitated a webinar with audience participation, system demonstrations, and hands-on practice.

  • Lead Instructional Designer

    • Nov 2005 - May 2008

    As Program Owner of Retail Bank New-Hire Platform Training, I maintained the integrity of the onboarding program by collaborating with business partners and subject matter experts; integrating new products, policies, and systems into the curriculum; and communicating with facilitators and training partners.

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  Consultant

  • Pittsburgh, PA

  • Instructional Design and Development Consultant

    • 1994 - 2005
    • Pittsburgh, PA

    * I designed and developed customized training workshops and programs, including project management software training for PPG Industries; customer service, branch operations, and sales training for SmithKline Beecham and Wyeth Ayerst; and victim-awareness seminars for the Center for Victims of Violent Crime.* Wrote scripts for corporate video programs featuring employee training, consumer tutorials, and product/service promotions. Clients have included West Penn AAA, Consumer Credit Counseling Service, and Wyeth Ayerst.* Wrote feature articles for Lifetimes, a national health-related publication, plus the websites pittsburghese.com and ontv.com.* Wrote copy for online and direct marketing catalogs for Pittsburgh Brewing Company, Pittsburgh Penguins, and NY Giants, plus commercials for regional and national clients.

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  Applied Science Associates

  • Greater Pittsburgh Area

  • Instructional Designer

    • May 1989 - Dec 1993
    • Greater Pittsburgh Area

    * For various clients, I managed design and development projects, including workshops for United Telephone System, documentation of new computer operations for Amerada Hess, and online safety training for Alcoa. * Designed and developed customized training programs, including online telecommunications courses for AT&T.

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  American Rehabilitation Educational Network (AREN)

  • Greater Pittsburgh Area

  • Writer/Producer

    • May 1986 - Feb 1988
    • Greater Pittsburgh Area

    Produced five national videoconferences for professional health care audiences, featuring live discussion, pre-taped segments, and studio demonstrations.