About Me
MY EXPERIENCE
As a musician, former Girls Rock Camp director and professor of gender studies and psychology, I am uniquely positioned to help you create an awesome, inclusive workplace through training, consulting, and high fives. Let’s do this!
Most people know me as the founder of RIOT RI (formerly Girls Rock! Rhode Island), which I led for over 10 years. Participants in our programming often discuss the “bubble” of this experience— how they feel supported enough to be creative and take risks in ways they don’t experience anywhere else in their lives. But, they should experience this feeling everywhere in their lives, especially their workplaces and schools, where they spend the majority of their waking hours. Employees, employers, and customers all benefit from a positive and inclusive space.
I look forward to working with you and your company to create a positive and supportive space- achieving your goals, based on the needs of your staff, clients/customers, and unique environment.
Please visit my LinkedIn page to connect with me or to view a detailed description of my experience.
FACILITATION STYLE
All workshop, training, or group content is built on research and current best practices in the field using developmentally appropriate teaching techniques to engage participants, and ideally, with input from potential participants, as well. (testimonials here!)
Workshops may include visuals, activities, or conversations tailored to your organization's needs.
My facilitation style uses humor (yes, this is serious, but let’s make it fun!) and guiding questions to help participants draw out their own understanding of the content based on personal experiences and societal systems.
While I will provide statistics and facts where necessary, I think it is important that participants do not feel condescension from a consultant coming in to work with them, but instead, feel a part of the conversation and feel ownership over the process of creating a positive environment in their space and community.
ABOUT ME
I grew up in Fargo, North Dakota (yes, really!) and moved to Providence, Rhode Island for grad school in 2002. I have played guitar since I was 14, but chose to focus on psychology and gender studies in college, which I continued to pursue in grad school at the University of Rhode Island. I worked in the field of sexual violence prevention at both Day One and the RI Department of Health for six years before deciding to address the root causes of sexual violence and promote gender equity more broadly through founding RIOT RI in 2009 with a number of amazing volunteers.
Now, I live in Cranston, RI with my partner, a bicycle builder, and my son, whose knowledge of Lego and Minecraft far exceeds my own! On warm days, you can see us wandering around Pawtuxet Village or riding bikes through Roger Williams Park. I still play guitar and in bands and am happy to discuss music or music gear any time!