Finnegan Lease-Boson, PhD
​academicexpats@gmail.com

EXPERIENCE

Instructional Designer and Training Specialist –                                  Washington, DC
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX                                                                  December 2015-Present
Key Achievements

• Create, update, and validate training documents to present to officials and end users at U.S Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)
• Function as Immersion’s sole SME that integrates Business Processes with Technical Training
• Promoted to Subject Matter Expert (SME) within two months
• Recognized by supervisors for mastery of learning ecosystems

My duties at Immersion include acting as the Subject Matter Expert for Process-based systems software and training materials for USCIS. As a SME, I create and continually update training materials, including PowerPoint Presentations, Quick Reference, Instructor, and Participant guides. In addition, I function as a tester for continually developing software, validating, and modify training documentation to present to USCIS officials and end users. To this end, I collaborate with software developers, business analysts, and product owners to create Just-In-Time training to end users. Recently, my responsibilities have been increased to include supervising and validating the work of junior team members. The primary responsibility of my role is to synthesize complex research, forms, and software changes and present it in accessible ways to various USCIS, corporate, and civilian audiences.

Project Analyst-                                                                                  Washington, DC
American Institutes for Research                                                    November – December 2015
Key Achievement

• Acknowledged by evaluators for skill and accuracy of qualitative research analysis

As a Project Analyst at AIR, I collaborated with Researchers and Analysts to solve problems that arose in research methodologies used to analyze academic data from students in grades 3-5. My primary role as an analyst was focused on interpreting and documenting multiple data points, map various data points to determine long and short term trends, and review research protocols to ensure consistency and accuracy in their presentation.

Remote Instructor/Instructional Designer-                                     Lawrence, KS
The University of Kansas                                                                     August 2015-July 2015
Key Achievements               

• Utilized Learning Management System (LMS) to launch the pilot of an online course for the Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies (WGSS) Department at the University of Kansas
• Represented the University and presented individual research at national conferences

At the University of Kansas, I managed multiple, simultaneous long and short research projects aimed at synthesizing large amounts of information. For these projects I created quantitative and qualitative data charts and reports based on multiple data points and utilized data mining and mapping software. These tools were leveraged to communicate complex information in easily understandable language and formats. As a Remote Instructor and Instructional Designer, I researched, designed, presented, moderated, and evaluated the first Distance Learning, LMS based course for the WGSS Department. The course I designed has been used as the template for the department for the last two years.

Instructional Designer and Research Manager-                               Lawrence, KS
The University of Kansas                                                                       August 2011-August 2015
Key Achievements

• First graduate of the WGSS degree program at the University of Kansas
• Designed, researched, taught, and evaluated the Honors Humanities course for WGSS
• Designed and produced instructional videos, still utilized by the WGSS department

My responsibilities included conducting multiple, simultaneous long and short term research projects, designing quality metrics based curriculum, managing educational technology and Learning Management Systems (LMSs), and creating research based electronic content for educational blogs and video series. I analyzed, edited, and evaluated hundreds of complex documents annually, under aggressive timelines. In addition, I collaborated with other junior scholars to represent the University of Kansas at seven national and regional conferences and symposiums.

Administrative Assistant-                                                                      Wilmington, DE
Habitat for Humanity/ Lutheran Volunteer Corps                          August 2010- August 2011
As an assistant for Habitat, I was responsible for managing and maintaining the day-to-day operations of the office. My duties included editing grant proposals, managing builder and non-profit documentation, managing organization invoices and expenses, and archiving non-profit training materials. I also functioned as an organizational representative at community events.

Instructional designer and Research Manager                                Boone, NC
Appalachian State University                                                              August 2007-May 2010
My duties included designing quality metrics based curriculum, managing educational technology and Learning Management Systems (LMSs), and creating research based electronic content for multiple educational settings. As a junior scholar, I analyzed, edited and evaluated hundreds of complex documents annually, under aggressive timelines. I also collaborated with colleagues in a Social Justice Teaching Cohort, as we taught co-current classes focused on different social justice topics.




SKILL SUMMARY

INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGN:              ADDIE Model, E-Learning Platforms, Learning  Management Systems, Curriculum Design and Evaluation, Seminar Planning and
                                                                Evaluation, Course Design, Presentation Creation and Delivery
COMPUTER SKILLS:                          Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint), Adobe Acrobat, SharePoint, Educational Technology and Learning
                                                                Management Systems (LMS), Adobe Professional Suite, Captivate Social Media, Prezi Presentation Software
SKILLS:                                                  Project Management, Actionable Research, Group Discussion Facilitation, Persuasive Speech and Communication, Technical
                                                                 Writing, Cross Discipline and Field Collaboration, Subject Matter Expert (SME) Collaboration, Managing Stakeholders, Qualitative
                                                                  and Quantitative Research, Quality Matters Rubrics, Document Creation and Editing

EDUCATION

PhD: The University of Kansas- Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies- August 2015
MA: Appalachian State University- English – May 2010
BA: Milligan College- History- May 2006
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