Behind the Resume #38 – Greg Crowther

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

I’m about to start as a biology instructor in the Life Sciences Department within the Division of Math and Sciences.  I will mostly be teaching human anatomy & physiology (“A&P,” to insiders) to health sciences students such as pre-nursing students.

Tell us a little about your professional background.

I’m coming to Everett after 22 years spent mostly at the Bothell and Seattle campuses of the University of Washington.  I had a variety of roles there as a graduate student, postdoc, and faculty member, ranging from teaching biology-for-engineers courses to performing lab research on the development of new malaria drugs.

What was your most memorable job? Why?

As a graduate student studying human muscle metabolism, I worked in a UW lab that also studied the tail-shaker muscles of Western diamondback rattlesnakes. Though I never experimented on them myself, and though they were always well-contained, they added a bit of drama to lab tours.

What does a typical day look like for you?

Greg Crowther and family
Greg and his family earlier in 2017

Ask me again once I get to campus! (I don’t officially start until January.)  But most days should include an hour or two of lecture, a couple hours of lab, an office hour, and a bunch of prep time.  Then I might go home, cook dinner, and try to be a competent father and husband for a couple of hours.

Describe yourself at 12 years old.

Among other features, I was:

(a) a fairly serious long-distance runner and
(b) rather short and skinny, with a still-high voice. These tidbits tend to come up in class when we’re discussing the A&P of exercise and the A&P of puberty, though I try not to over-share.

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

I love fried chicken, especially the slow-twitch muscles (known to most people as “dark meat”), washed down with iced tea in early fall or hot tea in late fall.

What would be the title of your autobiography?

To be honest, writing a book-length summary of my life would be a poor use of my time.

Performing at the Seattle Science Festival (2012)
Performing at the Seattle Science Festival (2012)

What is the first concert you attended?

The first big-name artist I ever saw live was New Kids on the Block, circa 1990.  I swear it was my younger sister’s idea.

What is your favorite hobby or pastime?

Believe it or not, I write lots of little songs about A&P material to help teach this material to my students.  I often write song lyrics while running, thus combining two hobbies into one.

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

I recently read “The Core Concepts of Physiology” by Joel Michael and colleagues, which is a nice little book about how to help students learn the big ideas rather than making them memorize endless facts.  I also just listened to an audiobook of “The Circle” by Dave Eggers, which may have been too satirical for my taste.  I preferred the movie, in which the characters were more realistic.

What one food do you wish had zero calories?

I consume an alarming amount of peanut butter, so maybe that.

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

I grew up in Rutland, Vermont until hopping across the state border for undergraduate studies at Williams College in Massachusetts.

Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

Probably still in Shuksan 118.  Is this a trick question?

What do you like to do on your days off?

Running a cross-country race (2013)
Running a cross-country race (2013)

I have two sons, one who is nearly 11 years old and one who is only 7 months old, so I can usually be found with them and my wife. We try to get out and do stuff, but sometimes the highlight of my weekend is a long nap.

Do you have a favorite quote/ piece of advice?

As someone whose main teaching topic is the human body, I try to advocate for healthy habits such as regular exercise.  When people hear that I run a lot, they often say, with a guilty sigh, “Yeah, I should really run more….”  To which I generally respond, “No!  If you don’t enjoy running, find another physical activity that you actually like, and do that!”

Behind the Resume #36 – Amee Moon

What is your title at EvCC, and what will you be doing in your day-to-day endeavors at the College?
I am the Associate Director of International Student Engagement. I will be planning events and activities to help international students connect with the campus, participate in the community, and adjust to life in the U.S.  We also want them to make friends, explore Washington, and HAVE FUN!

Tell us a little about your professional background.

Amee in Thailand

Three study abroad experiences in Brazil, Argentina and Chile started me on an international career path. My first job out of college was at Intel, where I did marketing and web localization projects for Latin America. Shortly after returning to the U.S., I signed up to teach English in Japan for two years. When that gig was up, I moved to the Seattle area to do marketing and recruiting for international students at Highline College, eventually transitioning into student leadership and development (you know, the fun stuff). I stayed at Highline for 13 years prior to landing at Everett.

What was your most memorable job? Why?
My most memorable job was in the Intel Brazil office in Sao Paulo, mostly because of the crazy cast of characters who worked there. I laughed until I cried every single day.

What does a typical day look like for you?
These days I’m waking up insanely early, dreaming up fun events that students will like, and planning for every bizarre contingency that could possibly arise!

Amee, her mom, and brother, Michael

Describe yourself at 10 years old.
At 10 I was a happy, talkative kid who loved soccer and making waterslides in the backyard. But that was also the year I dislocated my kneecap for the first time (skiing), so I spent a lot of time on the sofa watching MTV with my cat and an ice pack.

What is your favorite meal/ snack in summer? Favorite summer beverage?
I love hamburgers. I didn’t eat beef for 12 years and hamburgers were the only thing I truly missed! I don’t have a particular favorite “summer” drink. I pretty much live on Starbucks black tea lemonade all year round.

What is your favorite movie and book?
There is no possible way I could answer this question.

Favorite summer vacation spot?
Somewhere far, far away.

What is your favorite hobby or pastime?

Amee visiting her sister, Allison, in Sweden

I love to eat, watch movies and travel. I’m an avid reader of historical non-fiction, but I throw in other genres sometimes as well. I also love karaoke, but trust me when I say, you do NOT want to be present for that!

What are you reading right now/ what was the last book you read? Are you participating in any reading challenges?
“The Lady and the Peacock,” a biography of Aung San Suu Kyi by Peter Popham. She is one of the people I admire most in the world.

Amee in Laos

What one food do you wish had zero calories?
Cheese!!! Or chocolate. Definitely mashed potatoes. Oh, and hamburgers. Tater tots would be nice. And anything Italian. Or Mexican. Milkshakes. I think I could do this all day.

Where is your hometown? Were you born and raised in the same place?
I moved around my whole life, so I don’t have a hometown. I was born in Florida, but also lived in California, Texas, Colorado, Oregon, Washington D.C., Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Japan and of course, Washington State. I went to high school in Oregon, though, so I guess that’s the only place where I still know my way around.

Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
Playing badminton with my daughter on the private beach behind my villa in the Caribbean. Or possibly planning events for international students at EvCC. I could go either way.

What do you like to do on your days off?

Amee and her daughter, Chikako

Relax and enjoy time with my daughter, Chikako, spending money we don’t have.

Do you have a favorite quote/ piece of advice?
“Wrinkles should merely indicate where smiles have been.” Or just about any other sentence Mark Twain ever committed to paper.

 

Behind the Resume #35 – Michael Bowers

What is your title at EvCC, and what will you be doing in your day-to-day endeavors at the College?
I am the new Director of Housing at EvCC.  My responsibilities will be overseeing the operation and planning for our new residence halls (Mountain View and Cedar), managing the budget, and supervising the two Assistant Directors.

Tell us a little about your professional background.

Meeting a sheep at an EWU event: 2017


I have been in higher education for close to ten years.  I previously spent the last seven years working at Eastern Washington University, most recently as their Director of Student Rights and Responsibilities (student conduct).  Prior to that, I worked in housing for approximately seven years between three different institutions.

 

What was your most memorable job? Why?
Probably my previous job in student conduct.  Being the person who gets to read all the reports of what’s happening, I got to see a lot of things I couldn’t make up.

What does a typical day look like for you?
A typical day consists of waking up, going to the gym for about an hour and a half (I’m down about 40 pounds since April!), going to work for the day, and then coming back home to relax, watch TV, and/or play video games.  I recently got a pass to the Woodland Park Zoo, so I’m guessing many more days will consist of going there, too!

Seven-year-old Mike asleep on the couch with his Hulk Hogan and Macho Man wrestling buddies.

Describe yourself at 10 years old.
I’d say I was someone who did not look remotely close to 10 years old.   As a 10-year-old I was about 5’7″ and had a size 11 shoe.  Outside of that, I was into sports, professional wrestling, and Power Rangers!

What is your favorite meal/ snack in summer? Favorite summer beverage?
Being from the South originally, I love sweet tea.  Pair that with a biscuit and some fried chicken, and I’m good to go.

What is your favorite movie and book?
My favorite movie would be any of the Fast and the Furious movies, but more specifically the most recent one, Fate of the Furious. Vin Diesel and The Rock give a performance that would put Tom Hanks and Henry Fonda to shame.
Book-wise, I’d have to go with The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein.  I’m not a big reader, but I love dogs, so a book about dogs is awesome.

Favorite summer vacation spot?

 

Dancing with a dolphin in the Cayman Islands: October 2012

I’d have to say going back to North Carolina.  While it’s hot and humid during the summer, it’s nice to be able to go back and reconnect with friends and family.
What is your favorite hobby or pastime?
Video games definitely.  I’ve been into that dating back to the days of Atari.

What are you reading right now/ what was the last book you read? Are you participating in any reading challenges?
I started on Hillbilly Elegy not too long ago.  I’m not a frequent reader, so if there was a reading challenge, I would lose.
 

With my partner, Amanda, in Costa Rica: November 2014

What one food do you wish had zero calories?
Sesame chicken with white rice.  Whoever can come up with a zero-calorie version of that should win a Nobel Prize.

Where is your hometown? Were you born and raised in the same place?
I’m originally from the small-ish town of Kernersville, North Carolina. I was born just east of there in Greensboro, but moved when I was two, and my family still lives there.

Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
Hopefully,  married with a kid and two puppies: one named Atticus and one named Truman.  I’d also like to be working in a job I enjoy and/or retired with lottery winnings.

What do you like to do on your days off?
Spend time with friends, play games, and/or not do much of anything.  I’m an introvert at heart, so it’s always nice to be able to re-charge.

Do you have a favorite quote/ piece of advice?

“Life’s simple. You make choices and you don’t look back.” – The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift

Nine-year-old Mike mean mugging for the camera after a long day of swimming.

Behind the Resume #20 – Stephanie Coxon

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

Administrative Assistant 4 – Student Services (Dean’s Administrative Assistant) to Laurie Franklin.

 

Tell us a little about your professional background.

I worked in Retail for 7 years in order to put myself through college.  After college, I went into Banking for 2 years, worked for 3 years in Social Work, held Administrative Assistant roles for 13 years, and most recently was a Human Resources Generalist for 3 years.

What was your first job?Picture courtesy of: http://www.freepik.com/free-photos-vectors/canoe

I was 13 and had an all-summer babysitting/mother’s helper job watching a 2 year-old boy while his parents were landscaping and remodeling their summer cabin at the lake. I canoed to work every day!

Riley - our Chocolate Lab
Riley – our Chocolate Lab

 

What does a typical day look like for you?

Work, make dinner, spend time with my husband, play with our dog.

Describe yourself at 10 years old.

I was a kid that was outside as much as I could be.  I’d be playing Little League softball, basketball, swimming, fishing, climbing trees, making forts, traveling with my family during summer vacation (I think that year it was a road trip to down Highway 101 to Oregon’s Sea Lion Caves, The Wharf in San Francisco, Disneyland, Universal Studios, Sea World and Tijuana, Mexico).

What’s the one thing you can’t live without?

Caffeine!

Are you messy or organized?

I am organized at work – I have the 5S Lean Principles ingrained in me from past manufacturing and aerospace companies I have worked for.  However, at home, not as much…I try but life gets in the way.

What is the most important/valuable thing you have learned in the last five years?

Don’t sweat the small stuff.  – You won’t remember it 5 years from now.

Mariner's Game
Mariner’s Game

What’s on your bucket list?

Go to the Grand Canyon and to see a Mariner’s Spring Training game in Peoria, AZ

What is your favorite hobby or pastime?

Reading, fishing, cooking.

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

Last book I re-read was Saving Cascadia by John J. Nance.  The story takes place on the Washington Coast.  I also love True Crime.  Ann Rule is my favorite author; I had the opportunity to meet her at a book signing.

If you could witness any historical event, what would you want to see? Why?

Maybe not a specific event, but I would love to visit the Age of Enlightenment.  So many extraordinary thinkers and doers!

Haleakala in Maui
Haleakala in Maui, 2011

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

Arlington, WA – Born and raised in the same place.

How many homes have you lived in since you were born?   

4 homes and 1 college dormitory

If your life were a book, what would it be titled?

Not sure.  I am still writing the chapters in my “book”.  When writing, I have always had the inspiration for a title to come to me when I finished.

Do you have a favorite quote/ piece of advice?

The Golden Rule: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”

Pearl Harbor, Oahu, 2011
Pearl Harbor, Oahu, 2011