(Or, pushing students off a cliff is an addictive high.)
While earning an MFA in painting, I started to experiment with teaching as a graduate assistant around 2012. It didn’t take long before I was hooked. Two years later, I was a full-fledged adjunct. By 2015, teaching had taken control and I was doing it full-time. In the Spring of 2017, I became the Director of Minerva, the Creative Portfolio Program in the Department of Advertising and Public Relations at The University of Alabama. I know I have a problem. I just don't know how to stop.
I was honored to recieve the Donald G. Hileman Award from the American Advertising Federation, District 7. The award recognizes a college educator for outstanding service to advertising, to District 7, to a local advertising federation, and to college advertising students through a student advertising team, a student advertising club, and teaching of superior quality.
(or, suits are for weddings & funerals)
First, make a really big lake. The bigger, the better. Then, go fishing. The best fish are waiting down in the deep water. I promise this analogy makes sense. So does the one about raw chicken.
Creativity and complex problem-solving is key to becoming and staying competitive—no matter the industry. The best corporate cultures encourage creative exploration.
This is not a presentation. It's not a sales call. It's not theatre. And, it's not easy. It's an opportunity to show (not say) you have, will find, or are the solution.
Leading teams in unearthing the insights that lead to human truths, that lead to bold ideas, that lead to memorable activations, that lead to the engagement and loyalty you need.
(Or, running my mouth used to get me into a lot of trouble when I was growing up. Sometimes, it still does.)
I'm not very good at keeping my desk organized. I don't know the first thing about HV/AC repair. I'm awful with directions, terrible at math, and can't play the piano. That's why I don't stand on a stage and talk about that stuff.
But I know a thing or two about pitching ideas in a way that moves the needle.
134 Reese Phifer
The University of Alabama
Tuscaloosa, AL 35401