Bios

Meet the MPeT Team

As I reflect back and piece together my graphical and computer skills with my entrepreneur experiences, this position at STI seems one destined for me to fill. I have often been ahead of my time, dabbling in some of the most successful industries before they were identified as successful. This is your hint. The Software Training Institute is going to be something wonderful for the educational industry.

n the summer of 1997, New River Community College hired me as head of their Drafting and Design department to move their department into the computer age. I completely remodeled the lab, started the first Animation and 3d Modeling specialization programs and created the first CADD and Animation Computer Lab in the Virginia Community College system. The classroom was an amazing training ground for this company. The process of book to teacher, teacher to student, student to project and so forth was at my pace and not that of each individual student. We were both often frustrated and deep inside I kept looking for a better training tool. Over the next few years things began to take shape. I shared my idea with a few friends at a local Mexican restaurant and Oolah! MPeT (My Personal e Tutor) was born !

I have been working in the graphics industry for around thirteen years now, so perhaps you'll excuse me if I'm a little unstable. I spent the first five of those years in print shops, advertising agencies and corporate graphics departments. The last eight years have been spent running Sledd Studios, where my clients have ranged from design studios to video game developers and everyone in-between.

This history has gained me experience with projects of practically every nature: 2D/3D Illustration and Animation, Website Design, Logo Design, Page Layout and Design, Photo Collage, Interactive Media and more.

Having been born into a family that is absolutely chock-full-‘o-teachers, I am apparently also genetically and cosmically predisposed to instruction. I teach the occasional class on subjects ranging from 3D to Web Design and have written/edited three books and several magazine tutorials on the subject of digital illustration and animation.

During one of my teaching stints, I was introduced to Tom Marano, founder of this extraordinary venture known as STI. One thing led to another and here we are—saving the world from the complex software blues.

Well, if you cannot guess, I am here because someone had to do the dirty work of keeping all of these creative types on the straight and narrow. And who better than someone who is the proud mother of three teenagers, that alone spells the word experience. I have a long history of starting non-profits and have witnessed time and again, that familiar concept that a small group of committed people living their passion can change the world. How we teach, particularly social issues and critical life skills, is on the brink of change. Supported with innovative research on how we learn, e-learning tools and gaming technology will play a key role in this educational revolution. Rumor has it we can get a whole lot further down this road walking hand in hand. Oh yea, we can.