Meet the Commission

Kevin Garrett gladly joins the Oregon Institute of Technology faculty as Clinical Director of the M.S. Marriage and Family Therapy master’s degree program. Prior to teaching at Oregon Tech, Kevin taught for three years in southwestern Oklahoma at Cameron University in the Department of Psychology. He served as one of the clinical faculty in the Psychology Department and as a Practicum Supervisor while at Cameron University. He worked full-time in community mental health as a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in Wyoming for five years before teaching at Cameron University. Kevin completed his Ph.D. in the Marriage and Family Therapy specialization at Kansas State University in 2014, earned his master’s degree in the Marriage and Family Therapy specialization at the University of Oregon in 2006, and received his bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Utah State University in 2003. He completed a Medical Family Therapy-focused doctoral internship at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha, Nebraska in 2009, and earned a post-degree certificate in Medical Family Therapy while completing his doctoral internship. Kevin holds the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy Approved Supervisor designation. He looks forward to giving presentations in the community, region, state, as well as nationally. He is excited to be returning to his home state of Oregon, and to bring his clinical experience, passion for teaching, and community-focused orientation to Oregon Tech!

Dr. C.J. Riley is a registered professional engineer (OR) and professor of civil engineering at Oregon Tech. He completed his Ph.D. at Colorado State University in structural mechanics and has two years of experience in bridge design, rating, and software development for transportation structures with the Wyoming Department of Transportation. He is the graduate program director and advisor to the ASCE-AGC (American Society of Civil Engineers and Associated General Contractors) Student Chapter. Dr. Riley is active with the American Society for Engineering Education. He studies and lives engineering education and loves lighting up a classroom with hands-on demonstrations and relevant case studies that bring theory to life. You're most likely to find him out shaking local bridges with his students to quantify structural health or testing large-scale structural components in the structures lab.

I have a unique skillset built on decades of service across diverse industries. My experience helps me spot patterns, identify the root causes of problems, and develop innovative solutions across constituencies. 

#transformation #education #instructionaldesign #edtech

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Throughout my career, I have helped educate people in formal and informal settings, via social media, and using multimedia technologies. By considering the needs of a community, I design user-focused materials to connect people and facilitate understanding. Whether the community is a classroom of college students, an online social media group, or the general public, successful communication helps connect people and information. Those connections support learning and decision-making. 

As an educator, I am a passionate advocate for science literacy, critical thinking, and evidence-based decision-making. I believe in organizational success through communication, trust, transparency, and compassion. With 25 years of experience in education, communications, and digital media, I love creating content that delivers information in the most useful, understandable format. I have experience designing formal and informal instructional materials for students in K-16. Past projects include science activity guides and videos, written online lessons for study.com, and literature reviews. I use backwards design, iterative development, and a combination of models and tools, including ADDIE, Storyline 360, and Adobe Creative Cloud.

 As a scholar, my research interests include online learning communities, science education, and using technology to bring people together. I approach research as a pragmatist, using quantitative and qualitative data to not only measure variables but to understand the context in which they interact. Currently, I am researching novel approaches to general education that improve student outcomes and support retention. 

#sciencecommunication #educationaltechnology #womeninstem #instructionaldesign

Kristy Weidman has worked for Oregon Tech since 2007, first starting as an adjunct professor and then advancing to assistant professor where she now serves as the Program Director for the Marketing degree program. Kristy teaches marketing and management courses and has extensive experience in both the private and public sector working as a media buyer, creative designer, graphic artist, sales representative, copy editor, newsletter editor, videographer, script writer, volunteer coordinator, program coordinator, and public relations representative. Kristy holds a Master of Arts from Thomas Edison State University, a Bachelor of Science from Oregon Tech, a journalism and broadcast rating from the Defense Information School (DINFOS), a Marketing Strategy Certificate from Cornell University and a Digital Marketing Certificate from Cornell University. Kristy is a member of the American Marketing Association and is a competition judge.

Kristy likes to stay involved with her local community and is a board member with Discover Klamath (where she also serves as the marketing committee co-chair), serves on the Klamath County Tourism Grant Review committee and is an ex-officio board member with the Klamath Falls Downtown Association.

Kristy loves to travel and has been on two humanitarian trips abroad—one to Tanzania with Oregon Tech’s Engineers Without Borders and the other to Trinidad with Habitat for Humanity. Kristy thoroughly enjoys the outdoors & Klamath Falls. Her favorite activity is to take Mogley, her rambunctious Jack Russell terrier, on Hogsback for their daily hikes.