About Us

Dave and I started this business in 2019 because we saw a way to offer further conteXt 2 the conteNt.  With my major in Biology and minor in Chemistry I know what it is like to have content dumped on me.  Whether it is through the context of an immersive educational game or a real world STEM business I enjoy developing the project including writing the NGSS aligned curriculum that pulls it all together.  Our aim is engaging learners with a project based situation that brings the content into the picture through the scaffolding of the context.  I love developing projects that I know will bring all kinds of students to the table from a variety of backgrounds and experiences.  STEM is not just for those who will follow a higher ed pathway in those areas but it is for everybody who will ever visit a doctor, fly on a plane or want to fix a problem in their own piece of the world.  

After 24 years of teaching, I have a few ideas about innovation in education.  Having taught in secondary ed and as an Adjunct Professor at both Gonzaga and Whitworth Universities, I've spent a great deal of time considering the pedagogy behind a meaningful education.  As a lifelong learner, I've continued to explore opportunities to grow, including becoming an Educator Astronaut with NASA, serving on Washington's Teacher Advisory Committee (2009 Regional Teacher of the Year), and helping to lead and build Mead's STEMForward Series and Summer STEM Academy.  As a CTE Educator and STEM Coordinator for the Mead School District, I believe that partnerships between K12 Education, Higher education, Industry, and Community are critical to a transformative paradigm shift from conteNt 2 conteXt.

I have been involved in software development for 28 years, having held positions at Microsoft and NextIT (now Verint), and currently consulting for three organizations in software development. I hold a PhD in data management, developing methods to execute database-style queries over non-terminating data streams. My current research is in the intersection of technology and education, including K-12 education in computer science and in developing software as an integral part of curriculum. I am currently professor of computer science at Whitworth University.

I have been involved in STEM/Science education for over 25 years at the middle, high school, and director levels. Before joining the N2X staff, I worked as a Project Lead the Way (PLTW) teacher, Director of STEM for a science center exhibit manufacturing business, and Director of Student Engagement for WA/OR at PLTW. I also served on Greater Spokane Incorporated’s STEM Executive Committee acting as a representative assisting in connecting business and education. Currently, I have come full circle again back to the virtual classroom, paying this knowledge forward. It was during my time working for the exhibit manufacturing company that I encountered my first small business (SBIR) grant writing opportunity for the National Institute of Health (NIH).  After successfully co writing, acting as the principal investigator upon the grant award, I realized the need for a successful partnership between small business and someone who knows how to navigate the federal grant systems to access the funding opportunities. I have the grant and education experience to offer STEM businesses an opportunity to access these federal seed awards that are the catalyst for your business innovation to thrive..

I currently work for Washington Educational Service District 101 as a Regional Computer Science and Science Coordinator.  Previously I was a middle school science teacher for 15 years and taught life science and computer programming as well as an adjunct science methods instructor at Whitworth University.  I have my B.A. in Education, B.S. in Biology, and an M.A. in Education and Teaching At Risk Students.  I am currently enrolled as a Ph.D. candidate and am writing my dissertation on Leadership and Game Based Learning in the Classroom.  I currently work for various state committees and Code.org to implement computer science across the state.   In 2014, I was selected to speak at the first White House Game Jam on implanting gaming in classrooms.  I served on the state committee on computer science standards and have currently been invited to the White House several times to work on gamification and computer science. 

I worked as a staff scientist for Los Alamos National Laboratory until my wife and I relocated to Spokane in 2009. Since 2010 I directed the WSU Center for Innovation where we helped new businesses start from scratch. I retired in 2020, but I have an interest in helping technical-based interests form new companies. That explains my interest and connection with N2X. I will be working to develop N2X commercial opportunities and to add technical expertise where I can.