Teaching at EWU / 2008–now
Source-level fluency. Brick by brick.
Full Professor of Visual Communication Design at Eastern Washington University. Courses, curriculum, governance, and public talks are part of the same practice as the studio and systems work.
Teaching position
Method / courses / public work
Role
Full Professor
Visual Communication Design at Eastern Washington University. Teaching at EWU since 2008; promoted to Full Professor in 2024.
Method
Read the source
Students learn what HTML, CSS, systems, and models actually do. Tools change; the ability to inspect, question, and explain a system travels.
Sequence
Code + Design
Two sequential courses, one public hub. The curriculum treats interface behavior, systems thinking, and critical AI literacy as design material.
Current inquiry
Process is evidence
AI changes what a polished artifact can prove. Current teaching and writing ask how curiosity, discernment, synthesis, application, and reflection become visible in the work.
Areas taught
Core / seminar / inquiry studio
| Code | Area | Since | Mode |
|---|---|---|---|
| T1 | Typography and visual communication | 2014 | Core |
| T2 | Code and design | 2014 | Core |
| T3 | Digital photography and electronic media | 2012 | Core |
| T4 | Semiotics and design theory | 2018 | Seminar |
| T5 | AI and design inquiry studio | 2024 | Inquiry |
Talks and public work
Selected / reverse chronological
| Year | Title | Context |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | The Generative Workplace: AI as Your Cognitive Co-pilot | Keynote and panel moderator, EWU Staff In-Service |
| 2025 | The Process is the Product | Invited lecture, Harbin Normal University International Summer Camp |
| 2025 | AI in the Workforce | Employer Relations WA/OR panel |
| 2025 | AI in Higher Education and Workforce Readiness | Presenter with Dr. Stuart Steiner, Washington State Senate Higher Education & Workforce Development Committee |
| 2025 | Washington State AI Task Force Policy Feedback | Invited contributor on draft Recommendations 4 and 5, requested by Senator Matt Boehnke |
| 2025 | Exploring the Potential of AI | Innovator Connect panel, Spokane |
| 2023 | Opening Computational Frontiers | AIGA Design Educators Conference, New York |
| 2023 | Say Hello to Your New Robot Overlords | Public AI demonstrations, Spokane Public Library |
| 2019 | Utopian Idealism: 100 Years of Bauhaus | German Campus Week panel, EWU |
| 2014 | LIGHTBEAMS — 10 Rules for Being Creative | Cultivate Spokane Salon |
Education
Art / design / electronic media
| Year | Credential | Institution |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 | M.F.A., Photographic and Electronic Media | Maryland Institute College of Art |
| — | B.A., Visual Communication Design | Eastern Washington University |
| — | B.A., Fine Art (Studio) | Eastern Washington University |
| 2001 | A.F.A., Fine Art | Spokane Falls Community College |
Recognition
Selected / 2012–2025
- 2025CAHSS Team Excellence AwardEWUFaculty Co-Chair, Course and Programming Approval Committee.RecognitionTeam award
- 2024Full ProfessorEWUPromotion in Visual Communication Design.CareerPromotion
- 2014–16Adobe Education LeaderThree yearsRecognition across three consecutive years.ProgramMember
- 2014Featured FlowboardFlowVellaFeatured presentation record preserved in the teaching archive.RecognitionFeatured
- 2012College Teaching of ArtMICACertificate completed alongside the MFA.CredentialCompleted