I am an English Instructor living in the Atlanta suburbs about 40 miles east of downtown. I live with my five-year old son (Heath Jr) and my partner of four years, Braxton. We also have two lab mixes – Penny (copper brown color) and Missy (gray and white brindle).

Education
I began my undergraduate career as an information technology major (B.S. from Clayton State University); I majored in software development and minored in web design which set me up rather nicely for transitioning from the corporate world into the academic setting. I continued my education to complete a M.S. in Professional & Technical Communication from New Jersey Institute of Technology and I am A.B.D. status in the PhD in English with a major in Rhetoric & Textual Studies from Old Dominion University.

Professional Experience
I have a pretty extensive resume in the corporate world with over five years combined experience as a technical communicator in such roles including software developer, technical writer, software trainer, usability expert, and web designer. Throughout the year, I maintain my professional skills through consulting work by teaching professional development workshops and assisting with large-scale software projects as a technical writer, OWL  designer and consultant (Online Writing Labs), or usability expert. A great deal of my recent professional work has been designing smaller websites, such as this one, for non-profits and small businesses.

Academic/Teaching Experience
I have a very interdisciplinary background which resonates with my interests as a professor. For example, I teach courses ranging from English composition, technical writing, communication, and computer/information literacy. Furthermore, my web design and development experience is likely why I developed a passion for online or distance education since I have amassed five years of online teaching experience ranging from two-year technical colleges, two-year community colleges, four-year public institutions, and four-year proprietary schools. At the end of the day, I am still teaching the same motto: “good logic equals good writing” so it really doesn’t matter where I hang my hat when I arrive to work in the morning.