Graduate Assistants

Nina Baker began the OPWL program in the spring of 2019. She is pursuing her Masters in Organizational Performance and Workplace Learning with a focus on Instructional Design. She has worked in higher education and non-profits and has a background in art and design (graphic and web). Nina is excited to work with Dr. Lisa Giacumo. She was born in Bavaria, Germany and grew up amidst vineyards on rolling hills and a plethora of wheat fields. She received her MFA with a focus on Multimedia from the University of California, San Diego. She currently lives in San Diego.

Nina is a member of the San Diego ATD chapter and the ISPI Bay Area Boise Chapter. In her spare time she enjoys hiking and playing board games.

Lorraine Frazier is a learning center professional and has worked in higher education for the past 10 years. As a Level 3 Master Certified Tutor through the College Reading and Learning Association, she has dedicated herself to helping adult learners reach success through education. Her most recent role was at a small health sciences college where she managed the Academic Resource Center, Testing Services, Disability Support Services, and Career Services. She first became interested in instructional design while teaching college success and introductory computer courses. She is now focused on earning her Masters in OPWL at Boise State and serves as a Graduate Assistant under the leadership of Dr. Marker. Lorraine received a Bachelors in Business Administration through Drury University in both Business Management and Computer Information Systems.

Lorraine lives in St. Louis, Missouri with her family and enjoys traveling and attending concerts, cultural events, and Broadway plays every chance she gets.

Valerie Gardin is an Enterprise Engagement Coordinator at Spelman College, and has been employed in the information technology field for over 25 years. She is responsible for collaborating with divisional leaders to identify new innovations and enhancements, drive successful technology integrations, and align solutions to key business objectives. She is also responsible for training and development for faculty and staff. Valerie received her MS degree in Organizational and Performance Workplace Learning (OPWL) in 2018 and a graduate certificate in Workplace eLearning and Performance Support (WELPS) in 2015 from Boise State University. As part of her graduate experiences, she co-published an eLearning article with Dr. Seung Youn (Yonnie) Chyung, and co-presented at the AECT 2016 conference with Dr. Quincy Conley. She holds a BA in English Literature from Georgia State University.

Valerie was born in Baltimore, Maryland and lives in Atlanta, Georgia. She looks forward to supporting and mentoring Boise State students and assisting faculty in her role as teaching assistant for Dr. Steve Villachica and Dr. Bud Benscoter.

Nani Hazard is currently pursuing a Master’s Degree in OPWL. Originally from Lakewood, WA, she is now happy to call Idaho home. Nani completed her undergraduate degree from Washington State University, studying Business Administration with a focus in Human Resources in 2017. Between 2014 and 2019 she worked in various roles for the TRiO Student Support Service grant at Pierce College in Lakewood, WA. While there, she supported first-generation and/or low-income and/or disabled students towards attaining their educational goals.

While working at Pierce, Nani participated on multiple holistic committees that sought to bridge the gaps in education for underrepresented students with a focus on those students that qualify as low-income. Her coordination efforts generated hundreds of hours of community service work to be performed by students.

Nani is excited to continue working within academics as a GA for the OPWL program. More specifically, in 2019-20 she will be working with Professor Han in her Team Mindset Lab as well as providing literature review support on team related topics and conducting research on team mindsets and shared leadership. A believer that collaborative work is crucial to create change, Nani is enthusiastic to participate in this work in support of team development.

Douglas Hutchinson enrolled in the Organizational Performance and Workplace Learning program in the Fall of 2018. After graduating from Boise State University’s College of Business in 2014, Douglas has spent much of his time working with local nonprofits on projects related to learning & development, recruiting, and risk management. He began working as a Graduate Assistant in August of 2019, joining Dr. Chyung’s Workplace Oriented Research Center team examining floor and ceiling effects in research. Key areas of interest include creativity, employee development, and data driven decision making. Douglas is a resident of Boise, Idaho.

Megan Skinner started the OPWL Master’s program in the fall of 2018. Her interest in instructional design, training, and performance improvement began in her previous role as a team lead; heading the development of her departments mentoring and new hire onboarding programs. Her background is in poverty studies and human capital management. She has experience working with both non-profit, for-profit, military, and government agencies; and is excited to share her experiences in this new role as a Graduate Assistant. She will be working with Dr. In Gu Kang.

Currently, Megan lives with her husband and daughter in Germany.