Q: How long have you worked at Rice?
A: This is Year 15 at Rice.
Q: What do you enjoy most about your job?
A: I find it most rewarding to work through how ideas are communicated with people in real time. Whether in a one-on-one consultation, a classroom or a group discussion, someone might be trying to explain their research or make sense of a concept in writing, in a presentation or through visuals. As we talk through their ideas, there is often a moment when things begin to click, when they see a clearer way to say what they have been trying to express. You can almost feel that shift as it happens. That moment is genuinely exciting, and it is what makes the work so meaningful to me.
Q: What is your favorite part about working for the university?
A: The people. There is a shared sense of intellectual curiosity here, and conversations often move across disciplines in a natural way. That makes the work feel connected and, at times, unexpectedly generative.
Q: What’s your favorite spot on campus to show someone?
A: Fondren Library. Not just because of the books but because of the energy. There are quiet corners, but there are also spaces where students are talking through ideas, working together and figuring things out. Being in that environment feels intellectually stimulating, almost like you can see the thinking happening around you.
Q: What advice would you give to new employees?
A: Give yourself time to understand how the university works. Even if you have worked in other universities, every setting is different. The relationships and connections across campus are not always immediately visible, but once you begin to see them, the work starts to make more sense.
Q: Describe Rice in four words or less.
A: Curious, rigorous, reflective and collaborative.
Q: What else have we not talked about yet that merits discussion?
A: One thing I would emphasize is that the Center for Academic and Professional Communication is truly multimodal. Many people understandably think of a center like ours as focusing on writing, but we also work with visual projects such as presentations, slide design and data visualization, along with oral communication. This allows us to think with people about how their ideas take shape across different forms. Depending on the purpose and audience, that integrated perspective can make a meaningful difference in how clearly ideas come across and are understood.