Resume and Experience

My capstone project was on the communication methods used in video and text-based instructional materials, with an interest in how people give instructions in informal settings, such as amateur "how-to" videos and walkthroughs. I was particularly intrigued by the use of instrumental discourse (commands) and rhetorical discourse (persuasion) in home renovation and maintenance videos made by amateurs. My analysis explored evolving forms, patterns, and discourse methods on YouTube during its early years. I was particularly interested in recurring methodologies employed by unrelated, unpaid individuals, with no access to preset standards, and minimal training in rhetoric or technical communication. Minnesota State University, Mankato. 

This is a modular distance education program. Students learn at their own pace and sit proctored exams. I successfully completed courses in Marketing, Marketing Research, Organizational Behaviour, Accounting, Finance, and Economics. These courses provided me with a well-rounded education in the financial, operational, and strategic disciplines of an international business. The coursework and case studies broadened my knowledge of the hierarchy, connections and dependencies between business functions. I added coursework in Market Research to learn applied statistics. Heriot Watt University - Edinburgh Business School. 

I took this career college certificate as part of my transition out of professional church work. The diploma introduced me to the early Microsoft products, database theory, and basic coding in DOS and HTML. Most of the courses were woefully out of date and the lectures were delivered by audio cassette through headphones. This experience should have been much less significant in my life. But, it laid the foundation for what I do today, and there’s not a season that goes by that I don’t use some of the skills I learned by listening to tapes in that rundown classroom. Academy of Learning Business and Career College. 

I completed my undergraduate degree with a guided-study project that focused on the establishment and growth of culturally sensitive churches in Northwestern Ontario, a process commonly referred to as Church Planting. Years later I implemented this plan by planting a church in Dryden, Ontario. I also served for two years on the central planning committee of the denomination’s national Youth Conference. In my second year I served as the Director. The committee coordinated a volunteer base of 400. Together, we meticulously planned, prepared, and executed our denomination's prestigious national youth conference. Canadian Bible College (Ambrose University).

I graduated from Hammarskjold High School in Thunder Bay, Ontario, in 1990 with an Ontario Secondary School Diploma. I participated in clubs and played on the football and basketball teams. I received awards in visual arts and community service. As part of a co-op program, I trained as a clergyperson in connection with sociology courses on community service and development. This was the first co-op placement of its kind in Ontario.