RECIPIENT To: University of Southern California, Santa Cruz 1156 HIGH STREET, SANTA CRUZ, CA 95064

Phone: (831) 459-4300

Date: 14 February 2023

COVER LETTER Dear Hiring Committee, I am writing to apply for the remote position as Director, Tools for Teachers for the University of Southern California, Santa Cruz. I was excited to learn about this opportunity to leverage my skills, education, and expertise to serve students by empowering educators with essential tools to improve student learning outcomes across diverse demographic groups. I believe in the holistic approach outlined in this posting and believe that you will see how my skills, experiences, and expertise align with those transformative goals. I am educator and instructional designer with over 20 years of expertise in learning experience (LxP) design, user experience (UX) design, and graphic design. I also possess over 15 years of videography and production credits, and frequently utilize a variety of pedagogical and andragogical models to engage students, and train and mentor peers. I have worked on multiple projects with educators and other subject matter experts to clarify their learning objectives, improve course designs, and effectively revise, develop, and restructure educational content with the end user in mind. Diversity, equity, inclusivity, and user accessibility remain at the forefront of my instructional advocacy and design experience. I embrace and utilize a multilayered approach to universal design that allows me to consistently deliver exciting and transformative courses and multimedia content with engaging designs that empower faculty and students, without sacrificing academic rigor or accessibility. I have had multiple opportunities to collaborate with colleagues to align their teaching philosophies with their institution’s values and course outcomes. In addition to designing and facilitating the Dallas College History Department’s student learning outcomes assessment, I have also worked as a project manager for several campus and district-wide organizations and initiatives. These opportunities have provided me with an abundance of experience managing and working in collaboration with different disciplines and interdisciplinary teams to design and disseminate blended content across the curriculum. In my current role, I have supported executive leadership teams, peers, mentees, students, and the Dallas community.

RECIPIENT To: University of Southern California, Santa Cruz 1156 HIGH STREET, SANTA CRUZ, CA 95064

Phone: (831) 459-4300

Date: 14 February 2023

COVER LETTER I have engaged with executive leadership teams to formulate short- and long-term planning for content development, student success, and faculty engagement within and beyond the classroom. I have served as the central point of contact for multi-layered reporting teams across departments, and have engaged and leveraged the resources and skills of internal and external stakeholders to fund, organize, manage, nurture, and support growth, performance, and development. Recently I worked as a consultant to Tarrant County College to enhance professional development course design, instructional design, user experience design, learning experience design, and provided training for best practices in accessibility and culturally responsive and sustaining teaching and learning. This rewarding experience has enriched and inspired me to continue to service students and faculty by continuing to provide excellent design ideas to enhance their individual and collective experiences. I welcome the opportunity to bring my skills to the University of Southern California, Santa Cruz as the Director, Tools for Teachers, to actively collaborate with colleagues and ensure learning management systems, multimedia design, sound pedagogy, and balanced assessments remain at the forefront of innovation, all the while maintaining that delicate balance in the relationship between instruction and assessment. I am confident that I possess the skills, knowledge, and professionalism you seek for your next Director, Tools for Teachers. I look forward to meeting you in person to discuss my qualifications and invite you to contact me at your convenience. Thank you for your consideration. Sincerely,

Amy R. Bell

Amy Bell is a seasoned educator, instructional designer, and diversity, equity, and inclusion advocate. With more than twenty-five years of experience in the classroom and instructional design, her consistent focus on leveraging experience, education, and expertise to enhance diverse, creative, and inclusive collaborations have improved user experiences for internal and external stakeholders, closed persistent institution-wide achievement gaps, forged new understandings of difficult social justice topics, and paved the way for new and exciting education technologies for multiple institutions.

EDUCATION

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY - ABD

PROFESSOR OF HISTORY

Texas Christian University / Ft. Worth / 2025 Ph.D. in U.S. History Areas of Concentration – African-American and U.S. History Minor Fields - Native-American History, Women’s History, Education and Learning Theory

MASTER OF ARTS Texas Woman's University / Denton / 2001 M.A. - U.S. History Areas of Concentration - African-American and U.S. History

BACHELOR OF ARTS Texas Woman's University / Denton / 1999 B.A. - Music Minor - U.S. History

SKILLS INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGN PEDAGOGY SAM / ADDIE PROJECT MANAGEMENT LEARNING THEORY PROCESS IMPROVEMENT

Dallas College / Aug 2007 - Present / Dallas, TX

Designed, taught, and facilitated U.S. History 1301, 1302, and 2381 AfricanAmerican History courses in online, campus-based, and hybrid formats, using open source materials and free online texts. Designed, collaborated, and facilitated the district-wide student learning outcomes assessments for history courses, and subsequent professional development programs for history faculty in scaffolding, transparent design, and backward course design as part of our district-wide learning improvement plan. Designed, collaborated, and facilitated the Achieving the Dream course-level efforts for history courses aimed at closing the persistent achievement gap for under-resourced and under-served students. Designed, collaborated, and facilitated the redesign of multiple courses across the curriculum. Designed, collaborated, facilitated, and produced Equity Richland projects and presentations for the college and larger community on timely social justice and equity issues ranging from immigration, to mass incarceration, the nationwide rape kit backlog, and beyond. Designed and collaborated on digital, print, video, and learning objects for multiple organizations and initiatives: Digital Portfolio Videography Portfolio

CONSULTANT - INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGN & PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT Tarrant College / Aug 2021 - Present / Fort Worth, TX

Designed and produced a collection of multimedia professional development series on multiple topics, including: accessibility, differentiation, transparent design, executive function, and culturally responsive and sustaining pedagogy.

AMY BELL

ACADEMIC EXPERIENCE PROFESSOR - U.S. AND AFRICAN-AMERICAN HISTORY 2007 - Present, Dallas College - Richland Campus Dallas, TX

PROFESSOR - DESIGNER - CONSULTANT

ADJUNCT FACULTY - HISTORY 2015, Tarrant County College Arlington, TX

817-994-2542 [email protected]

ADJUNCT FACULTY - HISTORY

8709 Muir Dr. Ft. Worth, TX 76244

2002 - 2007, Texas Woman's University Denton, TX

SKILLS & EXPERTISE

ADOBE ACROBAT

ADOBE PHOTOSHOP

ADOBE CAPTIVATE

TECHNICAL WRITING

LEARNING MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS

TABLEAU

ARTICULATE STORYLINE

CAMTASIA

STAFF DEVELOPMENT

MS OFFICE

AUTO DELIVERY

COMMUNICATION SKILLS

DIVERSITY - EQUITY - INCLUSION CORE STRENGTHS COLLABORATION

COMPLIANCE

TRANSFORMATION

CONFIDENTIALITY

DESIGN

LEADERSHIP

POLICY BRIEFS

STRATEGY

COMMUNICATION

TRAINING

RETENTION

TRANSPARENCY

PRESENTATIONS & CONFERENCES SAFE ZONE TRAINING Dallas College / Fall 2021 / Dallas, TX Online ally training focused on providing a venue for LGBTQIA people, allies, and participants to learn and grow together.

I AM EVIDENCE: A COMMUNITY CONVERSATION Richland College / Spring 2020 / Dallas, TX Workshop presentation focused on Rape Culture, Sexual Harassment, and Gender Equality - Presented with Lavinia Masters

I AM EVIDENCE: A COMMUNITY CONVERSATION Richland College / Fall 2019 / Dallas, TX Workshop presentation focused on Rape Culture, Sexual Harassment, and Gender Equality - Presented with Lavinia Masters

HARVEST OF EMPIRE: A COMMUNITY CONVERSATION Richland College / Fall 2018 / Dallas, TX Workshop presentation focused on exploring imperial and colonial contexts of migration patterns in America.

GET OUT: A COMMUNITY CONVERSATION Texas Woman's University / Fall 2019 / Denton, TX Workshop presentation focused on deconstructing the systemic implications of racism and classism in America.

GET OUT: A COMMUNITY CONVERSATION Richland College / Fall 2018 / Dallas, TX Workshop presentation focused on deconstructing the systemic implications of racism and classism in America.

HOW IS THAT FAIR? MAKING THE TRANSITION FROM EQUALITY TO EQUITY Achieving the Dream National Conference / February 2018 / Nashville, TN Conference presentation focused on culturally responsive pedagogy and student success for historically underserved communities.

POWER PRIVILEGE AND IDENTITY: THE CITY Dallas County Community College / Summer 2018 / Pottsboro, TX Workshop presentation focused on exploring professional agency and group dynamics in stratified societies.

SAFE ZONE TRAINING Dallas College / Fall 2018/ Dallas, TX Ally training focused on providing a venue for LGBTQIA people, allies, and participants to learn and grow together.

THINKING IN COLLEGE? STUDENT ENGAGEMENT PRACTICES THAT EXTEND AND DEEPEN STUDENTS’ LEARNING POWER Achieving the Dream National Conference / Spring 2017 / San Francisco, CA Conference presentation focused on reporting on successful student engagement practices found to close the achievement gap.

ECAMPUS 101: HOW TO AVOID THE JACKSON POLLOCK SCHOOL OF ECAMPUS DESIGN Dallas College / Spring 2016 / Dallas, TX Workshop presentation focused on improving the overall design and navigability of online courses and learning management systems.

INITIATING THE VISION: ENGAGING ADMINISTRATORS, FACULTY, & STAFF EARLY IN ACHIEVING THE DREAM WORK TO MAXIMIZE BUY-IN Achieving the Dream National Conference / Spring 2011 / Indianapolis, IN Conference presentation focused on understanding how to maximize campus wide early buy-in for challenging initiatives.

HERRENVOLK HISTORIES: EPISTEMOLOGY, IDEOLOGY, AND SOCIAL JUSTICE Oxford College / Spring 2009 / Oxford, England Conference presentation focused on understanding the impact of racialized and racist understandings of history on individual and societal epistemologies.

ADMINISTRATIVE EXPERIENCE EQUITY RICHLAND

Co-Chair / 2017 - Present

DALLAS COLLEGE

Equity Richland is a long-standing community of Richland College staff, faculty, and administrators, dedicated to fostering the principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion both in the classroom and in our community at large. To that end, we create educational opportunities for our students, employees, and community designed to raise awareness and offer strategies and tools that can begin to build the bridges we so desperately need in today’s vitriolic climate. Equity Richland programming utilizes a multi-layered approach to event design such that every program we offer provides the following outcomes for participants: Faculty: – Professional development opportunities that provide sample assignments, in multiple disciplines, that illustrate ways in which faculty can incorporate culturally responsive pedagogy, transparent and universal design principles, and the tenets of inclusive teaching and learning in their courses. Administrators/Faculty/Staff: – Professional development opportunities that provide information and understanding of intercultural competencies, and the skills, knowledge and attributes that are valuable in culturally diverse environments. Students and Community: – Learning opportunities for students to experience culturally responsive curriculum designed to reinforce the Texas Core Curriculum (i.e. “a foundation of knowledge of human cultures and the physical and natural world, develop principles of personal and social responsibility for living in a diverse world, and advance intellectual and practical skills that are essential for all learning.”) and provide the knowledge and skills necessary to navigate life in the 21st century.

ACHIEVING THE DREAM Co-Chair / 2009 - 2012

DALLAS COLLEGE

In 2009, Richland College was selected as one of 20 community colleges in seven states to join a national Lumina Foundation initiative to help more community college students succeed, particularly those students who traditionally face the most significant barriers to success, including students of color and low-income students. Serving as chair of Richland’s college-wide Achieving the Dream initiatives, I helped design, implement, and manage our interdisciplinary approach to improving our student engagement, success, and retention efforts both within the classroom and throughout student services.

ADMINISTRATIVE EXPERIENCE AANAPISI INITIATIVE

DALLAS COLLEGE

Co-Chair / 2010 - 2012

In 2010, Richland College reached U.S. Department of Education’s designation as an Asian American, Native American, Pacific Islander Serving Institution, becoming Texas’ only college or university with this recognition. Serving as faculty chair of this college-wide initiative, I co-wrote the proposal that garnered a $1.4 million federal grant allowing Richland to continue funding much of our work aimed at closing the achievement gaps for students who traditionally face significant barriers to achievement and success. Additionally, I helped design, implement, facilitate and manage a 3-year professional development series aimed at introducing our faculty, staff and administrators to the work of Achieving the Dream and the AANAPISI Initiative, as well as begin the difficult, campus-wide conversations surrounding institutional racism, white privilege, stratification, classism and social justice.

REFERENCES Dr. Zarina Blankenbaker President Tarrant County College Northwest Campus 4801 Marine Creek Pkwy Ft. Worth, TX 76179 817-515-7750

Dr. Sha-shonda Porter Executive Director, Organizational Excellence and Development Tarrant County College 1500 Houston St Fort Worth, TX 76102 817 515-1208

Dr. Denecia Spence Professor Communication Studies Dallas College 12800 Abrams Rd Dallas, TX 75243 682-556-9042