I received a B.A. from the University of Calgary and an M.S. in Communication from Florida State University. From 1968 to 2012, I worked in the field of international development education and communication.
This website contains links to the majority of the initiatives (films/videos, animated films/videos, comic books, facilitators' guides, that I started, raised initial funds for, and helped to create and manage throughout my career. (Note: Most of the resources are available on various websites and I have amalgamated them here.)
During my career, I was employed by Canadian University Service Overseas (CUSO) (1968-74); Canada’s International Development Research Centre (IDRC) (1975-89); UNICEF in Bangladesh and Eastern and Southern Africa (1990-2000); the Center for Communication Programs, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore and Moscow (2001-2008), the Academy for Educational Development and FHI 360, Washington, D.C. (2008-2012).
I worked and lived in Malaysia, Bangladesh, Kenya, Uganda, and Russia for a total of 18 years and traveled to over 80 countries on short-term assignments.
In 2015, I settled in New Mexico, where I now use my varied experiences, memories, and imagination in creative nonfiction writing. My first travel memoir, Finding Myself in Borneo: Sojourns in Sabah has won three awards.
My second travel memoir, Guns and Gods in My Genes: A 15,000-mile North American search through four centuries of history, to the Mayflower, is a deep dive into my ancestry, written in an entertaining way. It has won two awards.
My third is titled, Kid on the Go! Memoir of My Childhood and Youth and I have recently released a forth memoir on career. It is titled, My University of the World: Adventures of an International Film & Media Make