COMPETENCIES

LANGUAGE COMPREHENSION
English (fluent), Spanish (conversational)

SOFTWARE
Adobe (Photoshop, Illustrator, Acrobat Pro, Premier Pro, After Effects, Dreamweaver, Captivate, Connect), Apple (Keynote, Numbers, Pages, Logic Pro), Articulate Storyline, Articulate Rise, Blender, Camtasia, Microsoft (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, SharePoint), Jing, Tumult Hype 4 Professional, Webex, Zoom

MISCELLANEOUS
Agile/Scrum Methodology, Adult Learning Methodologies (ADDIE, Dick & Carey, UbD), andragogy, pedagogy, ADA/508/WCAG 2.1 for accessibility, AR/VR (Augmented Reality/Virtual Reality), three.js, AR.js, 3D modeling, andragogy, pedagogy, change management, digital storytelling, gamification, Learning Management Systems (Canvas, D2L, Moodle, Sakai, Angel, Blackboard, Edmondo), Content Management Systems (CMS), web development (HTML5, CSS3, Responsive Web Design, WordPress), UI/UX Design

MANAGEMENT & LEADERSHIP

PERSONAL SERVICE APPROACH
To me, personal service is the difference between someone forgetting about you the minute the interaction or transaction is over, and that same person becoming a raving fan that keeps returning back to become a loyal customer for life.

In the teams I lead, I instill in them to approach each in-person and virtual interaction with that personal service mindset every day.

"Do unto others as you would have them do unto you."

The Golden Rule

This personal service approach also extends to how I manage my team members. I ascribe to the Servant Leadership philosophy, as I believe a successful team operation is achieved by:

• Modeling the right attitudes and actions.
• Team-building through creating a sense of community and care for one another.
• Empathizing with each individual team member's personal aspirations and professional goals.
• Investing into the individual team member's growth by identifying, as well as faciliatating, training and development opportunities (that align with the larger organization's goals and objectives).
• Working alongside the team members in the production environment to meet the established objectives and execute on the project deliverables.
• Empowering the team to make some decisions themselves (while maintaining management oversight).

"People won't care how much you know until they know how much you care."

Theodore Roosevelt

and

"A good leader builds a culture of service. A leader's job is not to do the work for others, it's to help others figure out how to do it themselves, to get things done and to succeed beyond what they thought possible."

Simon Sinek

CONFLICT RESOLUTION
Interpersonal conflicts are natural and inevitable. When a conflict or disagreement arises, my approach involves:

1. Providing immediate notice to my supervisor and Human Resources, if necessary, for awareness and support.
2. Maintaining objectivity and impartiality.
3. Meeting with all involved parties individually, as well as any neutral third-parties that were present, to gather as much insight as possible on the situation from a variety of angles.
4. Incorporating patience and active listening techniques.
5. Working toward restoring the working relationship and facilitate communication between the conflicting individuals.
6. Creating a gameplan to find common ground, amicably move past the situation, and if necessary, establish a Performance Improvement Plan with clear expectations and milestones.

Consider...

"Be the change you want to see in [your organization]."

Mahatma Gandhi

and

"If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all."

In instances within interdepartmental interactions where processes are not being followed or conflict is present, instead of approaching the situation with a punitive mindset toward the offending party, approach the situation with a healthy dose of goodwill and benevolence. A sample of responses:

• "How may I help?"
• "What can I do to assist you?"
• "What parts of our [processes, workflow, etc.] should we consider revisiting to help alleviate your pain points?"

From experience, simply taking the time to briefly meet individually with those we are experiencing an issue with has resulted in a positive outcome and mutual understanding. Sometimes it's simply an issue of miscommunication (due to the meaning of our message potentially getting lost due to the limitations of e-mail, instant messaging, or other virtual interactions).

HIRING MINDSET
In hiring new team members, as well as training or goal-setting existing personnel, I prioritize versatility in skill set. As the variety of content/assets our teams create are many, having team members with a wide range of abilities allows them to successfully meet the production demand (instead of having idle or underperforming team members due to lacking the skill needed to meet the demand of the specific task requested).

This approach to hiring impacts loyalty and engagement into our team, the larger organization, as well as the work we do:

"The goal is not just to hire people who need a job, it's to hire people who believe what you believe" (organizational goals and values). "If you hire people just because they can do a job, they'll work for your money. But, if you hire people who believe what you believe, they'll work for you with their blood, sweat, and tears."

Simon Sinek

MEETINGS
Keep the attendee list as short as possible.

When creating meeting invites, include a bulleted list of the agenda items and any supporting documents, to allow attendees to prepare and have the proper context of what will be discussed.

Stick to the established agenda – i.e. avoid deviating with tangental discussions and/or additional items to discuss during the meeting. If necessary, schedule a follow-up meeting to address those peripheral topics that arose.

In consideration for the next meeting colleagues are scheduled to attend, plan to wrap-up any meeting discussions 5-minutes earlier than the meeting end-time.

DECISION-MAKING
When encountering a decision without an obvious answer, always first refer to any established standard, process, or policy (ex: Learning Experience Design course development process, company policy, Multimedia Asset Request form intake process, etc.).

I believe one of the biggest mistakes a manager can make is simply not making a decision at all when one is warranted. It would be more acceptable in making a decision that was a mistake (and learning from it), than making no decision at all. When approaching a decision, I gather as much insight and data as possible, review historical notes, consult with my chief advisors, and then make the decision that's in the best interest of the organization. Also, I empower my team members to make decisions as well, when appropriate. If a process can be improved, we explore it.

MULTIMEDIA DEVELOPMENT

PHILOSOPHIES
I derive greater design inspiration from the audience I'm creating for than from any creative guru, design magazine, blog, or work of art. This is due to my strong belief that the user experience and/or learning experience should be accessible and intuitive to everyone, regardless of age, technological aptitude, or physical/mental impairment. Being mindful of others is a critical component of my design process, which is why I incorporate ADA/Section 508/WCAG 2.0 Accessibility Standards and focus group testing in my process (as applicable). For the design to be successful, the experience must be inclusive.

"Design is not just a visual thing. It’s a thought process. It’s a skill. Ultimately, design is a tool to enhance our humanity. "

Ilse Crawford

A design problem has no single right answer, which is why I explore different approaches, research best practices, create prototypes, and list out the pros/cons to arrive at the ideal solution or experience. I am also very practical. Does it "look" right? Does it "feel" right? Design is a toolset, not the end result.

"Form and function are one."

Frank Lloyd Wright

TYPES OF DELIVERABLES
Storyboards, workflow maps, sitemaps, wireframes, infographics, templates, foam structures, drawings, sketches

TOOLS UTILIZED
Photoshop, Illustrator, Dreamweaver, Fireworks, Sketch, video editing software, ruler, pen, paper, crayons, LEGOs, whiteboard, sand box, molding clay

RELEVANT EXPERIENCE
Prototyped, then designed several LMS front-end templates; Able to and have created deliverables based off of pre-made templates and program HTML/CSS from scratch

COMPUTER OPERATING SYSTEMS
Highly proficient in both Apple OSX and Windows platforms

CURRENT RELATED INTERESTS
Project Management Professional (PMP) certification, responsive web design, augmented/virtual reality, wearable technology (smart watches and fitness trackers), analytics

RAVING FANS

FACULTY

• "A big thank you to Roberto Lo Presti for all of the extra time and effort you have put in on [University Partner]. You have been invaluable during this [LMS] transition!"
• "You are my HERO! I think this is the solution and let's be sure we put that into place the "next time." Thank you SOOOOOO much for researching this [solution]."
• "You are amazing! ... I really appreciate your help."
• "You're awesome Roberto! Thanks!"
• "You're the best!"
• "A note of thanks. [the solution] you created made our [workflow] go so very smoothly. Thank you. I know that takes additional time, but it made a huge difference for us faculty."
• "Thanks again for your help. I reviewed the course with section faculty yesterday. They are also impressed with how wonderful the course and content looks."

SUPERVISORS

• "For a program that began with skeptical faculty, hearing positive rumblings on campus about the quality of your courses and talent is a huge testament to the work you've undertaken. It is not easy to go above and beyond to build trust, commit to quality, and step up response-time in order to meet sometimes unreasonable demands, but you have risen to the challenge. Thank you for being the incredible [Instructional Designer] that you are!"
• "Please know that I greatly appreciate the work you did for us on the [University] courses this term. We could not have launched on time without your assistance."
• "Another big shout out goes to Roberto Lo Presti from the [University] Program Director who wanted to thank [him] personally for stepping in and helping us out. It did not go unnoticed."
• "Your ideas and media skills rock and in the final hour your hard work amazes me!"
• "Thanks Roberto for going the extra mile. We really appreciate it!"
• "Thanks, Roberto! I appreciate your diligence. You did a great job this launch, and I look forward to working with you in the future."
• "I wanted to let you know that in a call with [faculty] this morning, she stated that she had worked with Roberto. She also stated that he was fabulous and that he was the only Instructional Designer [able to solve the problem and create a working solution]. Thank you Roberto!!!! She conveyed that she will miss working with you."
• "Kudos to the [University Partner] ID team for their flexibility in helping to define new processes working on [their] courses and a special shout out to Roberto Lo Presti for his hard work and his diligence this development cycle!"
• "Roberto! Thank you! This is fantastic--and the students were truly in need of [this solution]. Can't wait to see its impact!"
• "I love [the media you developed]! Amazing work!"
• "This [media] looks fabulous, Roberto! Thanks for the obvious time and effort you invested."
• "Thank you for the passion and leadership you have brought to [our company]."
• "Thank you for what you bring to help drive our [company's] success."

COLLEAGUES

• "It's important for [management] to know all of the hard work you've put in this term and during this [LMS] transition. You've taken on way more than was asked of you, and you have been a great resource for me during this process."
• "I just wanted to say a big THANK YOU for walking me through the section/discussion settings... That was a huge help! Thanks so much."
• "Thank you for your hard work and everything you did for me."
• "You are appreciated and I am grateful for the growth and opportunity you provided for me."
• "Thanks Roberto! You're doing an awesome job as always!!!"
• "Thanks, Roberto! That was a very helpful demo!"