Meet the Instructors – Professional Development Center News

September 14, 2020uwtpdc 2 Comments

Meet the Instructors: Dr. LaMont Green

[Meet the Instructors is a series intended to introduce you to one of the greatest resources the University of Washington Tacoma Professional Development Center has to offer: its diverse team of veteran, industry-tested professionals. The Center’s professional development programs are designed to be rewarding, challenging and cutting-edge. Our instructors play no small part in that, ensuring students are exposed to the most current industry trends while remaining well-versed in the tried-and-true best practices of their professions. We’re excited to share our instructors with you, and their stories are a great place to start.]

Tell me a little bit about yourself.

My name is LaMont Green. I am a descendant of the Gullah Geechee people from the Low County area of South Carolina, where I was born. I’ve lived in Tacoma for over 20 years and graduated with a degree in Social Work from UW Tacoma – I love our diverse community!

For nearly 20 years, I have worked to help local communities and governments identify and dismantle the persistent drivers of inequity across human services, homelessness, housing, behavioral health, and criminal justice systems. I have been very fortunate to lead several community-driven initiatives centered on improving care systems for complex health and historically disenfranchised populations. I received a Doctorate of Social Work from the University of Southern California with a focus on harnessing social innovation to address the Grand Challenge of Achieving Equal Opportunity and Justice for All. But, most importantly, I am the father of 2 wonderful Labradoodles – Buddy and Brodie:-)

What led you to your Special Initiatives Director position for King County?

King County was awarded a 5.4 million dollar grant from HUD – the Youth Homelessness Demonstration Program (YHDP) – to test strategies to end unaccompanied youth and young adult homelessness effectively. I was hired to implement the program and lead King County’s Campaign to End Youth Homelessness. The Youth Homelessness Demonstration Program resulted in significant reductions of unaccompanied youth experiencing unsheltered homelessness by advancing young adult voices and participation in governance, design, and evaluation of housing and supportive services.

Youth Homelessness has been an issue close to my heart for some time now. As a young man, after military service, I became homeless, depressed, and drug-addicted, struggling with my own internalized demons resulting from living in a society that constantly reminded me that due to my skin color or sexual orientation that I am inferior; I do not belong, and I am a second class citizen. Luckily, as a Veteran, there were services available to help support my recovery; however, this is not the case for many young people in our community. Black, Brown, Indigenous, LGBTQ, and Trans* youth are tremendously overrepresented in the homelessness system due to the generational impacts of systemic oppression intersecting with race, gender, and class.
I enjoy this work and learn so much from young people experiencing homelessness. Their resiliency, creativity, and bravery in the face of rejection, othering, and shaming fuels me to join with them and others to create liberating communities where we all belong and have opportunities to thrive.

Who do you see benefiting from these two day-long workshops on institutional racism in the nonprofit sector?

Anyone and everyone that works in the nonprofit sector. This training is beneficial for case managers, nonprofit executives, board of directors, program directors, senior leadership, data specialists, outreach specialists, behavioral health professionals, medical staff, etc. We all play a crucial role in ensuring that we address the persistent drivers of inequity.

What are your goals for students to bring back to their organization?

There are three things that I want students to learn and bring back to their organization:

A deep understanding of the history of systemic racism and connecting that history to present-day manifestations of inequity;
Gaining greater competency in identifying, describing, and undoing organizational policies, procedures, and practices that continue to drive racial disparities; and
Becoming familiar with helpful frameworks and tools that can be utilized to lead programmatic and systems change efforts that eliminate racial and social disparities.

Join Dr. Green and Nick Bayard at their upcoming workshops September 18th, on Race, Power and Social Impact and on October 2nd, Advance Strategies for Racial Equity Within Nonprofits.

July 22, 2019uwtpdc 1 Comment

Meet the Instructors: Davis Freeman, Art and Business of Photography

Davis Freeman has photographed a wide variety of subjects, from the Dalai Llama and the first brain surgery broadcast around the world to his barber and the covers of corporate annual reports. To say that he is an experienced photographer is truly an understatement.

This year, he will be teaching others how to pursue their own photographic dreams. Freeman joins the team at the UW Tacoma Professional Development Center as an instructor in a brand-new program, Art and Business of Photography.

This non-credit certificate program is designed for photographers who are interested in going into business, as well as working photographers looking to revamp their businesses or head in another direction in the world of photography. In short, and as named, the program will look at the world of professional photography from the perspectives of both art and business.

Freeman’s first official gig was as his high school’s yearbook photographer. Something about seeing a picture emerge in the darkroom, he said, got him hooked. Freeman took a hiatus from photography in college, getting a degree in social sciences. He discovered it again when he was drafted to serve during the Vietnam War. His army post had a darkroom, and Freeman spent his free time there learning the art of making negatives come to life.

After his military service and a second degree in psychology, he took his passion for people to the business world. Freeman received his third degree, cum laude, from an esteemed program in biomedical photography and spent his next years photographing medical procedures in hospitals. Next, the University of Washington asked him to become the head of its staff photography department, a position he held for many years. Eventually, he felt a call to begin his own business. Since then, Freeman’s career has included all types of corporate, retail and fine art photography.

“I’m a person who likes diversity,” he said. “That’s why I went from the university, which is by most standards a job for life, on to the corporate world to the family portrait world, from there to books and teaching.”

Through all of it, Freeman said his favorite job is “the next one.”

“There’s so much to photograph,” he said. “It gives me an entry to life.”

Looking back, today Freeman thinks the trait that enabled him to have such a long and successful career was his interest in people and dedication to his work, no matter what it was.

“To be successful creatively, you need a love affair,” he said. “To be successful financially, you need to understand business. Two very different skillsets, but they’re both very important.”

Freeman, who has succeeded in both realms, is excited to impart the lessons he has learned in this new program.

“I’ve designed this program to be interactive, to get people involved much earlier on in using the techniques that we’ll talk about for business or photography,” he said.

“We’ll do a lot of work on marketing and sales,” he said. “What this is going to offer students is an entrée to what they’ll need to do to start a business. This will be a stepping-stone to a career. If you’re extremely dedicated, you can take this into a career, take it into the real world.”

Art and Business of Photography is scheduled to start Sept. 28. Registration is open to the public, with no application required. For more information, visit the program’s webpage here.

April 15, 2019uwtpdc

Meet the Instructors: Wendy Fraser, Lean Six Sigma and CPM®

Dr. Wendy Fraser is no stranger to the UW Tacoma Professional Development Center. We know her type well.

Fraser is what you call a lifelong learner. Like many PDC students, she has a passion for learning and sees the value of pursuing new educational experiences. Graduating from Saint Martin’s University with a Bachelor’s in Management and Finance, Fraser was only getting started on her journey through higher education. Since 1991, she has gone on to earn Master’s degrees in human resources, organizational leadership and human and organizational systems. She completed her Doctorate in Human and Organizational Development from Fielding Graduate University in 2010. Read more Meet the Instructors: Wendy Fraser, Lean Six Sigma and CPM®

March 18, 2019uwtpdc

Meet the Instructors: Dean Priebe, Mastering Beer Styles

In this installation of Meet the Instructors, we’re pleased to introduce Dean Priebe. Dean is Brewmaster at Icicle Brewing Company in Leavenworth, Wash., and the instructor for our newest Mastering Beer Styles in Bothell, Wash. Read on to learn more about Dean and sign up to attend class at Beardslee Public House!

December 4, 2018uwtpdc

Meet the Instructors: Heather McClung, Business of Craft Beer

For this installment of Meet the Instructors, we sat down with beer industry veteran Heather McClung. She has a wealth of knowledge, and a passion for teaching, that she’ll bring to Business of Craft Beer on Jan. 28. Read more about her here! Read more Meet the Instructors: Heather McClung, Business of Craft Beer

September 18, 2018uwtpdc 2 Comments

Meet the Instructors: John Marti, Mastering Beer Styles

Mastering Beer Styles is a practical and hands-on approach of the key concepts, tools and techniques required to excel in the craft brewing industry. Delivering an intensive overview of the history, terminology and style characteristics of beer, this program is suitable for craft beer aficionados and professionals alike. Oct. 8, this program will hold its first class in Seattle, taught by Lowercase Brewing Head Brewer John Marti. Read John’s story and register for class today!

April 23, 2018uwtpdc 1 Comment

Meet the Instructors: Dariush “DK” Khaleghi, Human Resources

Instructors at the UW Tacoma Professional Development Center come from different backgrounds, professions and industries – and in the case of Dariush Khaleghi, from across the world. DK, who teaches in the PDC’s Leadership Essentials, Human Resources Management and Certified Public Manager® programs, came to the U.S. as a religious refugee from Iran in 1985. His journey since then has profoundly influenced the teacher he is today.

April 3, 2018uwtpdc 2 Comments

Meet the Instructors: Angel Latterell, Project Management

It comes as no surprise that Project Management has long been one of our most popular courses at the Professional Development Center. Across industries, project management continues to be a skill in-demand and invaluable. This summer, the PDC is expanding Project Management to Tukwila. This course gives us a chance not only to bring an exciting opportunity to lifelong learners in King County, but also additionally to introduce students to a new instructor, Angel Latterell. Currently working as a Senior Project Manager for Seattle Children’s, Latterell is a practitioner with what seems like more than one career’s worth of lessons to share. We talked with her recently to see what students can expect from her and the program.

January 3, 2018uwtpdc

Meet the Instructors: Trevor Nichol, Mastering Beer Styles

Mastering Beer Styles: Exploration and Evaluation is the PDC’s first venture into the world of craft beer. According to the Brewer’s Association, there are nearly 4,300 craft breweries operating in the U.S. That number is only growing, and Tacoma’s thriving beer culture is a testament to that. Looking to serve the growing body of craft beer professionals, this course is designed to take students on an exploration through the world of beer. Over an intensive 10-week, 40-hour curriculum, students will learn the fundamental history, terminology and style characteristics of beers. The curriculum is based upon the information covered in industry standard exam certifications such as the Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP) and Cicerone. At the helm of the course’s first iteration is BJCP Master Judge Trevor Nichol. Nichol is an industry veteran, knows beer much better than anyone at The Center, and took some time recently to answer some of our questions.