If I were to describe why I have been successful in my professional endeavors in one word, it would be connection. 

• Effective management is about connecting with the whole person, and leveraging their strengths through strategic placement on a team. 

• Effective learning solutions are created when the Learning Specialist, Subject Matter Experts, and stakeholders connect with one another to decide on the training method that will achieve behavior change and employee upskilling.

• Effective content creation occurs when a user can make a personal connection with it. 

Creativity that leads to various . When I was young, I would watch my father design electrical systems. In 1986, he took me under his wing and allowed me to help him create a stereo surround sound system made out of wood, fabric, and rubber cone. As we worked together, he taught me the key words of voltage, current, and resistance as they applied to our project. What we developed together would become a powerful, cutting-edge set of speakers - for the mid-1980's - that would bring the movie "Top Gun" to life. Through this process I learned:

• What a needs analysis was: Wanting a killer sound system in time for the VHS release of "Top Gun".

• Design: Mapping out a circuit schematic and gathering our materials before rolling up our sleeves and making the speakers.

• Development: Building the speakers from a solid schematic and having the materials clearly laid out.

• Implementation: Testing the speakers prior to the VHS release and making changes to the original design several times.

• Evaluation: Seeing if the speakers had the "wow" factor we were hoping for at the moment of takeoff (pardon the pun). 

...and what does that spell?!...

Since that experience, I knew how thrilling learning could be when crafted the right way. That time of designing and developing while connecting with my father was pivotal for me. It motivated me to make sure that any learning experience I created from that point forward would bring about results that yielded a "wow" factor. 

Throughout my tenure as a life-longer learner, I have designed, developed, and implemented learning solutions that have simplified complex content, engaged the most reluctant of learners, and have brought about lasting change. Take a look for yourself by viewing my professional accomplishments, eLearning samples, and instructional design materials. 

While I'm not formally designing learning, I am spending time with my husband, two children, and sweet Mountain Cur/Plott Hound mix, Juno. We are all New Jersey natives but currently live in the Nashville, Tennessee area. We love to travel as a family. My husband and I share a love of classic movies, comedy, 90's music, and cooking a variety of cuisines, especially Italian, Mexican, and Chinese. I am a musician who sings, and plays the flute, the guitar, and even the snare drum in a bagpipe and drum band. In 2006, our drum corps took first place in the Eastern United States Pipe Band Association. My son is a depty belt in TaeKwonDo. He is a pitcher and an accomplished batter for his baseball team. My daughter is a Scottish Highland Dancer and has placed in regional competitions. She is an aspiring musical performer. We refer to ourselves as "Clan Callahan".