Hi! I'm Michael. I live in Oklahoma City. At heart, I am a people-oriented problem solver.
I have a Ph.D. in math and was a professor for a few years. My research was in probability models of evolutionary dynamics. I loved teaching and seeing students light up with excitement more than doing research, so I eventually left academia to work as a curriculum designer. I designed math content for an educational website (IXL Learning) for pre-K through 12th grade students. When my wife finished her degree she wanted to be near family so I left my job and followed her.
We had a new baby and were in a new city and neither of us were finding work. It was tough going for a while. In desparation, broadened my job search and one day I came across a digital marketing position on Craigslist of all places. It was a wine cellar/restaurant seeking a data driven marketer who could back up their decision making with numbers. I didn't know whether it was real at first but I landed the job and spent over 3 years there. I was designing websites, email campaigns, social media posts, menus, food packaging, and I even animated the company logo. I am so thankful that I had that opportunity and I was able to discover a passion for design.
My income at the restaurant was not great, so sadly I left for a much higher paying data analyst role. I learn design and animation with whatever spare resources I have. I have attended design bootcamps (School of Motion), purchased many online design and animation courses, and I am always learning and practicing. At work, I use math, Python, Excel, and analyze data on a daily basis.
If you would like to work with me, go to my homepage and click CONTACT to reveal my email address. (It's hidden from bots — or so I think.)