With 14 years of teaching experience in university and mainly the community college setting (to include four years at Darton College), Ellen has earned three national awards: In September 2011, Ellen earned the Sloan-Consortium's Excellence in Online Teaching and Learning award. In 2003, Ellen's teaching innovation in face-to-face and online learning was honored by the National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development and the National Council of Instructional Administrators. In 2003, the American Association of Community College's Community College Times recognized Ellen's public speaking course as a "best practice" in online learning. In 2009, Ellen's Introduction to Communication course was recognized by Quality Matters as meeting best practice standards for online curriculum (Ellen currently teaches hybrid classes, part online and part face-to-face).
Holding degrees in both Communication Studies and Post-Secondary Education from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (and a proud College of Southern Nevada AA degree-holder!), Ellen is both a sought-after academic publishing insider and a seasoned instructional designer. In academic publishing, Ellen has contributed to countless communication titles published by McGraw-Hill, Pearson, Oxford University Press, and Cengage and is a regular subject matter expert for communication, college success, and online learning. Recent projects include authoring Pearson's Student Success in the Online Environment module for their online teacher certification program, as well as developing online curriculum and Camtasia tutorials for Adler, et. al.'s Understanding Human Communication companion website, 10th and 11th eds. (Oxford University Press).
Ellen's vast instructional design background, which includes service for higher education, various grants, and private sector clients, led her to become one of ten competitively selected instructional designers for the Gates Foundation's Open Course Library Grant in 2010-2011 (recently featured in Newsweek). Ellen is also a master reviewer for Quality Matters, leading peer teams to intricately review the quality of online courses.
Finally, with a love of public speaking that "borders on the ridiculous," Ellen is an award-winning public speaker who, in 2007, became one of only four Washington State certified speakers for Monster.com’s “Making High School Count” program. In May 2011, based on return invitation, Ellen will give her second annual keynote address entitled "Why I Became a Community College Professor" to University of Washington graduate students seeking a college teaching career.
Ellen prides herself on being known as an educator, author, and speaker who is passionate about helping students become excellent communicators in college and beyond.
Ellen lives in Seattle with her husband, son, and daughter.
