Why Another Master’s?
Graduate dancing
I’ve recently graduated with an M.Ed. from Arizona State University’s Mary Lou Fulton College of Teaching and Innovation with Distinction (I’m pretty proud of that qualifier). The program is constantly evolving to keep pace with technological advancements at breakneck speed. To keep my mettle sharp, I have been accepted to the for the Master’s of Science in AI in Business program at Arizona State.
Let’s face it: my resume resembles a Swiss Army knife…packed with tools for everything from process improvement to technical training, all polished by years wrangling cross-functional teams, leading change, and squeezing efficiency from chaos. But here’s the kicker: the business world is transforming at warp speed thanks to AI, and I want a driver’s seat in that transformation, not just as an expert, but as the steady hand that guides organizations through it. In instructional design parlance, this “scaffolding” is known as Vygotsky’s Constructivism, or more specifically, as social constructivism theory. But that is learning theory; I want to get down to brass tacks, while basing the conversation in learning and management theory, without my audience ever knowing.
Turning Experience into Impact: Not Just More Training
In my years as a Methods and Procedures Manager and Instructional Design leader for giants like AT&T and Charter Communications, I’ve learned that not every business headache is solved by a new training module. Too often, solutions amount to: “Let’s throw a class at it!” In reality, silos, misaligned processes, and cultural inertia create issues that no six-slide deck can fix.
What if we used AI not only to deliver insights but to challenge C-suites to ask: Is training really the answer? Or are we papering over deeper cracks? With the Master’s in AI for Business, my mission is to disrupt old answers using real data and strategic thinking to turn “training as a band-aid” into genuine organizational healing.
From Process Improvements to Strategic Evolution: Building the Bridge
Process optimization and operational efficiency have been my bread and butter: at AT&T, I cut training the Technical Support curriculum by 25% and boosted support metrics year after year. But the next frontier isn’t just squeezing more out of the machine; it’s making sure the machine is building the right future.
AI in business is the ultimate diagnostic tool. Armed with this degree, I’ll be able to offer executive leadership not just performance numbers, but context: revealing the root causes of pain points—be they skills gaps, cultural issues, or flawed business models. The goal is to empower organizations to move beyond surface-level fixes toward lasting, systemic evolution by using AI as the compass to get there.
A Liaison, Not a Lecturer: Connecting Boardrooms and Breakrooms
Consider this: Effective change management isn’t about technical skills alone. It’s about being the person who can talk troubleshooting with engineers and ROI with executives. Sometimes in the same meeting (and let’s be honest, sometimes over the same cold conference room coffee).
My background as a training manager and methods specialist means I understand the language of both operations and leadership. But with a Master’s in AI for Business, I’ll become the go-to advisor who translates tech-speak into actionable business decisions, guiding leaders through uncertainty and helping them see where training is worth the investment or where change is about mindsets, not modules.
From “Just Another Training” to Real Change Leadership
Organizations don’t need another instructional designer; they need disruptors who question the status quo and inspire transformation at scale whether or not they know it yet. I’m ready to harness advanced analytics and machine learning not just to keep pace, but to lead: fostering cultures that adapt, innovate, and even laugh a little in the face of disruption.
In Summary: My career has always been about building bridges between processes and people, technology and strategy, today’s problems and tomorrow’s solutions. A Master’s in AI for Business is the launchpad that will let me turn years of operational know-how into genuine thought leadership for the future of work. So here’s to the organizations ready to trade guesswork for insight, “checkbox” training for strategic development, and fear of change for curiosity and growth. (And yes, I’ll still bring coffee to early-morning innovation sessions. It’ll help keep the robots honest.)
