Behind the Resume #76 – Heather Mayer

Heather Mayer new employee photo

What is your title at EvCC, and what will you be doing in your day-to-day endeavors at the College?

Director of Educational Technology. As part of the Center for Transformative Teaching, the eLearning team manages and supports Canvas and Starfish, as well as instructional design and development for faculty teaching online or hybrid courses. Day-to-day, that not only involves understanding trends and emerging uses of educational technology, but understanding how it connects to and supports all of the different areas of the College; not just online instruction.

Tell us a little about your professional background.

Heather with her book and a drink in front of a bookshelf
My book release event at Powell’s books in 2018

My academic background is as a historian, focusing on gender and labor in the United States in the early twentieth century. My book Beyond the Rebel Girl even includes a chapter about Everett! I taught US history courses (primarily online) at Portland Community College from 2008-2019, and began working as the Teaching Learning Center Coordinator for the Rock Creek campus in 2014. I’ve also taught as an adjunct at University of Portland and Southern New Hampshire University.

What was your most memorable job? Why?

One memorable short-term job was doing a work abroad program right after completing my BA. I went to Cork, Ireland and worked at the concession stand at a movie theater.

What is your favorite meal/ snack in fall? Favorite fall beverage?

I am big on pumpkin spice everything. Probably my favorite would be the combo of either a plain bagel with pumpkin cream cheese, or a pumpkin bagel with plain cream cheese. For drinks, I love a London Fog.

Heather with her mother and children
With my mom and my kids celebrating the Blazers in the playoffs last season

Tell us three things most people don’t know about you.

  • I have a big tattoo on my back based on the 1895 Walter Crane illustration “A Garland for May-Day.” I got it to celebrate finishing my PhD exams.
  • I am super huge fan of the Portland Trailblazers. Probably the hardest decision about moving was that I had just bought partial season tickets to share with my brother.
  • I really don’t like the feeling of being scared. I will do (almost) anything to avoid a scary movie or haunted house.

What is your favorite book? Favorite movie? What makes these choices your favorites?

Heather with her husband and children, in traditional Nigerian attire
With my husband and children dressed for a ceremony welcoming me into the family in Nigeria in 2018

That’s tough, as favorites are always changing. One of my favorite books is Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. My husband came to the United States from Nigeria to go to college, so reading that booked helped me to understand a little more about what he experienced.

What are you reading right now/ what was the last book you read? Are you participating in any reading challenges?

I always have a big stack of books next to my bed I’m in the middle of reading. Currently I’m making the most progress on The Heartbeat of Wounded Knee by David Treuer and Fault Lines: A History of the United States since 1974 by Kevin Kruse and Julian Zelizer. For fiction, the most recent was There There by Tommy Orange.

Where is your hometown? Were you born and raised in the same place?

Portland, Oregon. I was raised in the same house my dad was raised in, and where my mom still lives. Our family are the only people who have lived there since it was built in the 1950s.

What do you like to do on your days off?

Heather with her husband and children at Disneyland
With my husband and children at Disneyworld last summer

I have two small children (Cameron is 4 and Maya is 1), and so weekends are usually a mix of some kind of activity and just playing around inside or outside.

Do you have a favorite quote/ piece of advice?

I really like the old Wobbly motto “An injury to one is an injury to all.”

Behind the Resume #75 – Teri Reade

Teri Reade new employee photo

What is your title at EvCC, and what will you be doing in your day-to-day endeavors at the College?

Employment Facilitator for Aerospace and Advanced Manufacturing Careers. I am privileged to work closely with the amazing teams of administrators, faculty and staff at AMTEC and Aviation. My role will include guiding students to relevant internships and employment that utilize their training and lead to rewarding careers. Toward this goal, I will work closely with faculty in recognizing and utilizing students’ strengths; coach students to see and develop their own value, envision their careers, and market themselves to employers; and align with industry to help close the loop and fill employment gaps.

Tell us a little about your professional background. 

With Doug (husband of 27 years)
With Doug (husband of 27 years)

Until the recession, I was in Marketing and Sales. It was just a job, but it paid well. Then suddenly, there were no sales. Then, there were no jobs. Our family went on TANF (Temporary Aid for needy Families), and I met Lisa Fritch (who works at EvCC) while trying to figure out what to do next. Her guidance led me to a new career path. Since 2008, I have focused entirely on Workforce Development, helping folks figure out the next steps on their career path, coaching and teaching Resume, Interview and other self-promotion skills, and guiding groups in developing confidence and their future. It seems fitting that I am back here, working with Lisa and others to coach and guide. I am home.

What was your most memorable job? Why? 

At the age of 16, I was able to work in the school library for a semester.  It opened my eyes!! I learned process, organization and efficiency, and have used those concepts ever since.

What is your favorite meal/ snack in fall? Favorite fall beverage? 

Harvest Soup (Butternut Bisque)
Harvest Soup (Butternut Bisque)

Autumn soups . . Homemade creamy potato, spicy sweet butternut bisque, and more. My mouth is watering! For my beverage of choice: eggnog latte, please.  

Tell us three things most people don’t know about you. 

Teri & bearded dragon
with Beardsley (the Bearded Dragon)
  1. I am the mother of a dragon. A Bearded Dragon, that is.  He’s a Citrine/Giant hybrid (orange/yellow, about 18” long). He eats from my hand, and loves baths. 
  2. I raise cockroaches. That is, we maintain a supply of food for our Beardy. They stay confined, and are surprisingly clean and easy to manage.
  3. My favorite kind of shopping is at a Hardware store.  I love McDaniel’s in Snohomish.

What is your favorite book? Favorite movie? What makes these choices your favorites? 

Picture of small puppy
Falkor (9-month-old Lab)

Favorite book: Anything by Mary Roach. I started with “Gulp,” which is an entertaining, educational, scientific and historical look at the alimentary canal, starting with the taste buds and going all the way down.

Favorite movie: Into the Woods.  The stage version with Bernadette Peters as the witch. Even Meryl Streep in the more recent movie couldn’t hold a candle to her.  Plus, the movie doesn’t include the song “No More Giants.” See the Broadway version. 

What are you reading right now/ what was the last book you read? Are you participating in any reading challenges?

Teri with husband and son
Family craziness

I recently finished “The Underground Railroad” by Colson Whitehead. Currently, I’m enjoying “Being Wrong” by Kathryn Schulz. Her perspective is liberating. 

Where is your hometown? Were you born and raised in the same place?

Born and raised in the Inland Empire of Southern California . . . SO smoggy back then. At the age of 20, I chose Washington State as my new home.

What do you like to do on your days off? 

Teri holding rocks
Happy Place beach-combing

Work in the yard/garden, play with our pup, road trips with Doug, beach-comb for stones and seaglass, braid wool rugs, and make stuff. Right now, I’m sanding and finishing a live-edge cedar mantle. 

Do you have a favorite quote/ piece of advice? 

(Listing three, but they really go together.)

  • “Once you choose hope, anything’s possible.”  Christopher Reeve
  • “I dwell in possibility.” Emily Dickinson
  • “That there is some good in this world, Mr. Frodo. And it’s worth fighting for.” Samwise (through Tolkien)
Partially completed Bohemian Braided rug
Partially completed Bohemian Braided rug