Experience

Urban Rivers
• United States
• Environmental Services
• 1 - 100 Employee
• Wild Mile Community Council Member

  • May 2023 - Present

Great Lakes Educators of Aquatic and Marine Science
• Treasurer

  • Apr 2022 - Present

1516 N. State Parkway Condominium Association
• Secretary

  • Dec 2021 - Present

Shedd Aquarium
• United States
• Museums, Historical Sites, and Zoos
• 300 - 400 Employee
• Learning Programs Department Specialist

  • Apr 2018 - Oct 2022


RPS 205

• United States
• Primary and Secondary Education
• 700 & Above Employee

• Parent and Community Engagement Supervisor

  • Jul 2010 - Apr 2018

  Supported the Parent and Community Engagement DepartmentInstrumental in the increased number of volunteer hours by 33% in one year. Maintained a data base of over 6000 volunteers. Administered trainings for reading tutors. Represented the District by attending and participating in numerous community meetings.Assisteded in developing the newly created Parent and Community Engagement Department. Increased the number of community partnerships. Collaborated with principals to foster family-friendly school climates. Facilitated monthly parent trainings. Integrated the SAE: A World in Motion STEM Program in 5th grade classrooms across the district and piloted the K - 5 program at Froberg Elementary. Instituted the Saturday IDOT Engineering Academy for high school students for 4 consecutive years. Summer of 2012 led me to live onboard the Shedd Aquarium's Coral Reef II research vessel exploring and researching the pristine waters surrounding the islands of Bimini in the Bahamas. All learning was project-based and correlated to be incorporated in primary and secondary classrooms.In August of 2011, I challenged myself by enrolling in the week long Animal Behavior and Training graduate level class presented by Ken Ramirez at the Shedd Aquarium. Show less

• Volunteer Coordinator/Reading Tutor

  • Dec 1999 - Jun 2010

  Recruited and maintained the highly successful volunteer program. Established collaborative community partnerships. Coordinated events for Volunteer Appreciation Week. Tutored students individually and in small group settings. Administered student assessments and challenged students to surpass their reading goals. Trained and scheduled reading tutors. Developed and implemented the back to school Jump Start tutoring program. Originated the Book Buddies Forever reading program. Launched the kindergarten book drive with Andy’s Books for Kids. Wrote articles for the Spring Creek School Community Newsletter. Communicated with the media regarding the positive happenings at SCS. Located appropriate resource channels for families in need. Served on the Positive Behavior Intervention Support committee. Show less



B and B Canine

• Australia
• Paper and Forest Product Manufacturing

• Positive Rewards Based Trainer

  • 2008 - 2015

  I have been compassionately caring for animals my entire life. As a young child, my dream was to become an oceanographer. After meeting marine mammal trainers, Kathy Sdao and Ken Ramirez and observing them in action, my desired interest focuses towards animal behavior. My lifetime love of canines and active involvement in obedience and agility training has led me to the path of training dogs as a part-time profession. For the past 7+ years, I have had the honor and privilege of training under the auspices of Vickie Buchholz, CPDT-KA. This has been a truly rewarding and life changing experience. Under her direction, I became a cross-over trainer. I am a strong advocate for scientifically proven, positive, reward based training methods. The past few years, I have extended my learning opportunities by attending the following intensive week-end training seminars: Kathy Sdao, Get Smart (See, Mark, And Reward Training) Ian Dunbar, Dominance: Raising the Bar in Dog Training Ian Dunbar, SIRIUS® Dog Training Academy Nicole Wilde, Working With Fearful Dogs Pam Dennison, Defusing Canine Aggression Patricia McConnell, Darwin, Dogs and The Emotional Life of Animals Roger Abrantes at Wolf Park: Making Sense of Nonsense Theory and Practice During spring 2010 and 2011, I supplemented my hands on training by attending Clicker Expos in Kentucky and Chicago and also attended the three day animal behavior seminars hosted by Professional Animal Behavior Associates at The University of Guelph in Canada. I share my life with a five year old golden retriever named Bentley. I continually seek to expand my knowledge in order to help develop harmonious relationships between dogs and their owners. When it's time to train, a dog should be wagging its' tail! Show less