Résumé | Curriculum Vitae

PROFESSIONAL SUMMARY

Stephen is a dedicated professional offering more than 15 years of educational technology and instructional design experience in corporate, academic, and healthcare settings. They are a proven leader in digital media, adult education, and cutting-edge pedagogical techniques such as gamification, virtual reality simulation, and collaborative worldbuilding. Additionally, they have a thorough history of leveraging relationships with cross-functional teams to promote engagement while aligning learning initiatives and organizational goals.

CORE COMPETENCIES & SKILLS

Program Administration, Training Management, Universal Design, Accessibility, Virtual Training, Agile Design, Curriculum Development, Situated Cognition, Learning Science, Learning Theory, Project Management, Adult Education, Assessment, ADDIE, Scrum, Apprenticeship, Mentoring

Technologies: Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Premiere, Captivate, Articulate, Figma, Trello, Camtasia, Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Audacity, Learning Management Systems (e.g., Canvas, Blackboard, Moodle), Slack, Discord, Asperite

CAREER ACHIEVEMENTS

  • Generated and budgeted $400,000+ annually as administrator of the University of Connecticut’s ‘Two Summers’ Educational Technology Graduate Program.

  • Authored the highly influential (2012) Review of Educational Research meta-analysis “Our Princess is in Another Castle: A Review of Trends in Serious Gaming for Education,” cited in 1500+ academic and professional peer-reviewed articles.

  • Authored the first comprehensive book about instructional worldbuilding (The Worldbuilding Workshop: Teaching Critical Thinking and Empathy Through World Modeling, Simulation, and Play) on behalf of MIT Press (releasing Fall 2025).

  • Developed seven educational games, authored 20+ academic articles, and delivered 80+ keynotes, panels, and presentations about instructional design, adult learning, and technology integration.

  • Served as academic advisor to over 200 Bachelors, Masters, and Doctoral students.

  • Three-time nominee for the Neag School of Education’s Perry A. Zirkel Teaching Award.

  • Revolutionized Coram Healthcare’s revenue cycle training and professional development processes.

  • Co-developed CVS Health’s Company Resource Group for instructional design and training.

REVENUE CYCLE TRAINING MANAGER | CVS Health (2024 - Present)

  • Manage 13 direct reports (including designers, analysts, technologists, trainers, and supervisors).

  • Supervise Coram Healthcare instructional design and one-to-many training for new hires (onboarding) and existing employees (professional development).

  • Produce budget proposals for the acquisition of contemporary software and training tools.

  • Present professional development workshops and presentations for CVS Health L&D employees.

  • Organize job shadowing/role networking programs for Coram Healthcare employees.

  • Conduct semiannual employee evaluations for the Coram Healthcare Revenue Cycle training team.

  • Spearhead visioning and project management for the design of web-based training modules.

  • Develop sustainable infrastructure for instructional design and implementation processes, including organizational redundancy and version control measures.

  • Instantiate playful learning practices for the CVS Health learning and development community.

PROFESSOR OF EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY | University of Connecticut (2017 - 2023)

  • Oversaw admissions and onboarding of each year’s new Two Summers cohort.

  • Planned content year-over-year to align with updated ISTE technology coaching standards.

  • Conducted mixed-methods research on adult learning, serious games, and interactive storytelling.

  • Taught courses in learning sciences (e.g., learning theory, instructional design, educational technology) and digital media (e.g., interactive storytelling, systems design, serious games).

  • Facilitated faculty transition to online instruction during COVID-19 pandemic, including creation of videos, podcasts, and infographics for UConn’s Center for Excellence in Teaching & Learning.

  • Developed instructional games for teaching and assessment (e.g., EOS-503, Courtroom 600).

  • Founded and organized the international Frontiers in Playful Learning conference hosted at UConn.

  • Participated in accreditation preparation for UConn Digital Media & Design program.

  • Served as key member of the UConn GEOC subcommittee on Digital & Information Literacy.

  • Held office as UConn Future of Learning and digital information literacy subcommittee chair for authoring and revision of university educational technology standards.

  • Designed and managed the UConn Educational Technology website (content and interface).

  • Handled social media and marketing for UConn Educational Technology Graduate Program.

INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGN CONSULTANT | InSync Training, LLC (2015 - 2018)

  • Co-managed Modern Workplace Learning instructional design for Pfizer Corporation

  • Created graphic design content (i.e., art assets, text copy) for Modern Workplace Learning infographics and other InSync Training, LLC materials

  • Provided consultative advice during joint meetings between InSync Training, LLC and Pfizer Corporation

  • Assisted with the development of style and instructional design guidelines for Pfizer Corporation

  • Advised on issues of instructional game design and gamification for InSync Training, LLC

  • Wrote, revised, and co-published various articles for the corporate instructional design magazine Training

INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGN SPECIALIST | University of Connecticut Health Center (2015 - 2017)

  • Provided project management guidance to UConn Health’s Faculty Instructional Technology Services Dept.

  • Co-managed development of flipped classroom course environments in conjunction with Blackboard, Inc.

  • Developed online, game-infused learning objects to support flipped classroom instructional materials

  • Co-designed formative and summative portfolios and individual assessment tools for broad-spectrum use within the UCHC medical and dental education programs

  • Conducted short-, mid-, and long-term visioning for program innovation, research, and development

  • Co-created webinar and other TED-style instructional tools for dissemination within and between UCHC programs

  • Provided consultative advice during joint meetings between UCHC administrators, faculty, and stakeholder groups (e.g., recommendations for wise technology integration in assessment and team-based learning contexts)

  • Created graphic design content (i.e., art assets, text copy) for various UCHC infographics, simulation tools, and other course materials

INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGN RESEARCH SCIENTIST | University of Connecticut (2015)

  • Collaboratively designed and researched instructional games associated with the university’s Two Summers Master’s Program in Educational Technology

  • Facilitated revision and implementation of existing educational technology assets for the Two Summers Program

  • Organized and advised joint meetings for the planning and design of a university game design laboratory                    

  • Provided university outreach and instructional design consultation for various private and public institutions (e.g., Pfizer, Jackson Laboratories, ASU Center for Games and Impact, Connecticut Invention Convention)

  • Produced and presented on multiple research projects involving game and story design

GAME SYSTEMS, NARRATIVE, & UX DESIGNER | Arizona State University (2014 - 2015)

  • Designed and produced narrative underpinning for the Intel THRIVE Game-Infused Learning Management System

  • Participated in joint planning meetings between Center for Games & Impact, E-Line Media, and Intel Corporation

  • Assisted in scheduling and prioritizing Intel THRIVE development Scrum process

  • Assisted in the design of Intel THRIVE Game-Infused Learning Management System user interface

  • Conducted ongoing survey of existing learning management system features

  • Served as design consult for multiple concurrent game development projects (e.g., Quest2Teach)

CO-OWNER, MANAGER, & ARTIST | The Pericles Group, LLC (2010 - Present)

  • Co-founded the gaming and learning collaborative The Pericles Group, LLC

  • Served as a lead instructional designer for high school and college curricula (e.g., Latin, STEM, psychology)

  • Created and implemented game-based learning professional development seminars for Connecticut high schools

  • Co-developed game-based learning card games for several academic content areas (e.g., Latin, Greek, STEM)

  • Served as the lead illustrator for online game-based academic courses and educational card games

  • Managed business networking with K-12 institutions, private organizations/businesses, and individuals

  • Oversaw educational game development, narrative design, and longitudinal research

LEADERSHIP

  • Training Manager – Revenue Cycle Training Team (2024 - Present)

  • Co-Administrator – Educational Tech Program (2017 - 2023)

  • Co-Coordinator – Game Design Program (2017 - 2023)

  • Graduate Employee Union Graphic Designer (2014)

  • Neag Graduate Student Association Tech. Chair (2012 – 2014)

  • Drum Major – Univ. of Connecticut Marching Band (2007)

  • Tau Beta Sigma Honorary Music & Service Fraternity (2004 – 2008)

AWARDS

  • [Nominee] UConn Career Mentor of the Year Award (2023)

  • [Nominee] Perry A. Zirkel Distinguished Teaching Award (2022)

  • [Nominee] Perry A. Zirkel Distinguished Teaching Award (2021)

  • Vernon and Elizabeth Brown Family Scholarship (2013)

  • 2012 Pre-Doctoral Fellowship Award (2012)

  • Comprehensive Exam ‘Distinguished’ Rating (2012)

  • Presidential Scholar, Cum Laude, Honors Scholar (2003 – 2007)

EDUCATION HISTORY

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD): Educational Psychology | University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT (08/2010 - 12/2014)

Master of Arts (MA): Curriculum and Instruction | University of Connecticut, Hartford, CT (05/2007 - 05/2008)

Bachelor of Science (BS): Molecular and Cell Biology | University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT (08/2003 - 05/2007)

KEYWORDS

Instructional Design, Game Design, Narrative Design, Transmedia Storytelling, Educational Technology, Educational Psychology, Cognition, Video Games, Gaming, Playful Learning, Research, Training, Teaching, Instructional Technology