Combining years in the management consulting industry, extensive knowledge of brand management, and nearly two decades of experience in traditional and online higher education, I am able to offer clients a unique and compelling skill set for the deployment of place- and nation-branding strategies, deepening of cultural competencies, and online learning initiatives. During my tenure with The Eastern Management Group, I helped large and medium-sized companies including such industry leaders as Verizon, T-Mobile, Nippon Telephone and Telegraph (NTT), and Telcordia Technologies (now iconectiv) achieve best practices, improve corporate culture, develop marketing strategies, engage in public awareness campaigns, and conduct effective government and media relations. As a political geographer focused on cultural issues associated with cataclysmic events, including pandemics and environmental catastrophe, I am able to assist companies in their efforts to adapt to rapid and unpredictable changes around the globe. With extensive experience in the planning, design, deployment, and assessment of online teaching initiatives, I assist colleges and universities in providing the highest quality education available over the Internet, equaling and often surpassing traditional forms of pedagogy while increasing revenue streams and student retention and graduation rates. My research has enabled me to assist developing and newly-independent countries in their efforts to positively representing themselves to international audiences, especially key decision-makers in the realms of politics, media, trade, and culture. 

Cultural Insights, Place Branding, and Public Diplomacy

Stemming from my work on the Borat-Kazakhstan controversy and more recent research on "nation branding" efforts across Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union, I have developed considerable expertise in public diplomacy efforts and international outreach, particularly through the use of new media and social networks. More recently, I have focused my research in Nordic Europe, investigating the role of serial TV drama as a social, cultural, and political tool for building stronger polities and burnishing the international images of nation-states abroad. Bringing together these fields of research with deep cultural competencies and a broad network of government, industry, academic, and media actors, I assist clients with efforts that focus on understanding human behaviour across multiple geographic scales (local, regional, national, trans-border, and global). I bring my experience to bear on small and large campaigns intended to improve the national image of countries and national heritage sites, as well as more targeted marketing efforts associated with national sports teams, Eurovision, and other high profile events that influence the international perception of a given state. My unique background adds value to existing campaigns and provide proven strategies and effective frameworks for new programs. Within the realm of cultural production, I assist media clients with projects intended to more effectively engage with "real world" issues, from migration and political violence to identity politics and ecological crises.

Environmental Catastrophe Preparation and Mitigation

The advent of the so-called Anthropocene Epoch should serve as a wake up call for government agencies, transnational corporations, and community organizations. The slow - if steady - rise in annual temperatures, once-in-a-century storm events, wildfires, red tides due to eutrophication, damaging impact of invasive species, biodiversity loss, oceanic acidification, and new zoonotic pandemics are combining in unseen ways that will threaten stability for states and localities, increase risks and costs for businesses, and tear at the fabric of society due to the effects of environmental injustice within countries and across the globe. Using out-of-the-box thinking based on scientific postulation, speculative fiction, and likely political scenarios, I provide clients with critical thinking exercises and new avenues of analysis that promote novel strategies and tactics for mitigating the current and coming effects of climate change and other breaches of planetary boundaries in the twenty-first century. My work caters to different needs among various organizations, agencies, and companies, focusing on local, regional, national, and global responses to the apocalyptic threats posed by the New Human Epoch.   

Online Education and Distance Learning

As a 20-year veteran of online teaching, I have extensive experience which can help any educational organization leverage existing resources as it seeks to implement or refine online or distance learning initiatives. On my home campus, I serve as the Arts & Sciences representative on the SUNY Learning Network Taskforce, which developed the College's 'Best Practices for Online and Hybrid Teaching' policies, various assessment instruments, and other tools for improving and expanding online and hybrid teaching. Having developed and taught over 50 online undergraduate and graduate courses at a variety of institutions, including an online-only institution with more than 100,000 students in over 100 countries, I bring a broad understanding of the challenges and benefits of distance learning, including best practices, course design, interaction strategies, software selection, student feedback, management practices, technical specifications, etc. 

Academic Coaching and Tutoring

I work closely with European students who are planning on study abroad or applying for university in the USA, UK, Canada, Ireland, or Australia. In the area of academic coaching, I assist students with selecting a location for study abroad and/or the right university, as well working with them to identify an appropriate and rewarding course of study. In order to obtain optimal outcomes in the application process and during the period of study, this work also involves increasing self-awareness, enhancing personal development, and navigating culture and customs in their country of choice. With regards to individual tutoring, I develop a personalised programme for greater achievement in the fields of  History, Politics, and Geography. This includes developing and improving research methods, presentation skills, verbal communication, essay writing/revisions, and test/exam preparation.