About

As an experienced instructional designer and technical writer, I know how to dig into human behavior, analyze problems, and deliver learning solutions on deadline. But, most of all, I’m a person who cares a lot about people. That’s what drew me to this work.

My professional background

The rando beginnings

I studied everything I could in college: newswriting, editing, graphic design, Shakespeare, environmental science, ecology, and Math for the Liberal Arts student (yep, that’s a thing. We studied ratios and betting odds … and why to avoid the lottery).

Near the end of this wondrous experience, I got an internship with the National Park Service where I taught science lessons to kids in southwest Colorado. For nearly a decade I worked as a park ranger, summer camp counselor, and any sort of youth-oriented outdoor job I could find. It was joyful, but seasonal, and I was looking for stability.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics data pointed me to the seemingly perfect career path of instructional design. All of those “random” college classes merged into the ultimate job for a curious, people-minded person like me. I pursued a graduate degree in instructional design, got married, had a kid, and hopped into the world of professional learning.

Instructional design in higher ed

I started in a university’s IT department creating online courses and supporting faculty and students using campus learning technology. A part of this job required understanding instructional technology well enough to teach it to others and troubleshoot when things went wrong.

It was a big shift from puppeteering animal shows for preschoolers and wading through creeks with elementary kids, but it was fun and I was surprisingly good at it. The thread of learning pulled me along.

A stint in Corporate America

I grew a bit obsessed with systems and processes and joined a Fortune 500 company as an operations technical writer right before the pandemic hit. On the operations team, we gathered information at the speed of light. I learned to interview, write, and edit with precision, and to build consensus among large, disparate workgroups.

Rising to this challenge gave me the courage to start my first business as a technical writing consultant. I started writing user guides, manuals, and instructions for small businesses, and I did that for several years before starting Keener Learning, LLC.

Back to higher ed

Later I came back to higher ed on the professional education side: supporting programs meant to help employers and employees find the skills they needed to learn and grow in their jobs. I joined a continuing education department as an instructional designer and later as the department’s director, managing employer training contracts and grant-funded educational projects from start to finish.

Throughout my professional life, a few traits have continued to define me: curiosity about human behavior, care for life, and a serious drive to make sense out of chaos. These characteristics remain at the heart of my business.

My clients

I love partnering with organizations where learning is taken seriously, not just checked off. My clients include colleges and universities, professional associations, and mission-driven organizations who care about people growing and succeeding. If you’re doing work that matters to you, chances are it’ll matter to me too.

My education and training

I earned an MSEd in Instructional Design and Performance Improvement from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. Before that, I studied communication and newswriting at the University of Illinois Springfield.

I’ve also earned certifications in technical and interpretive writing, and continue to refine my writing craft through nonfiction writing for children. (Those creek stomps and puppet shows never left me! I’ll always love sharing the joy of nature with kids … big up to Joseph Cornell.)

My favorite tools

As a person whose professional life is dedicated to learning, you might have guessed that I’m always eager to know more. When I’m not learning about learning (how meta), you can find me tinkering with new tools and aiming to keep myself ready for what’s next. Here are a few of my favorite tools:

• Notion
• Snagit
• Camtasia
• Canva

I’m also familiar with Articulate 360, many learning management systems (Canvas, Blackboard, Moodle, D2L, Workday Learning) and a trove of other elearning/multimedia tools. If we work together, know that I come with my own tech stack, but I’m ready to jump into yours.