Amber Garrison Duncan
Competency-Based Education Network
Pensacola Beach, FL USA
"Instead of thinking about a job title, think about what it is you love to do, where you want to be solving problems, and how you want to be involved."
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Amber's work combines: Education, Non-Profit Organizations, and Helping People
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Day In The Life
Skills &
Education
Advice for getting started
There are many paths to develop the skills to do the job I do every day. My educational path is a good way to get into this work. Some of my colleagues came through other pathways like law or K-12 education, while others came through non-profit management.
Here's the path I took:
High School
Bachelor's Degree
Psychology
Texas Woman's University
Graduate Degree
Student Affairs Administration and Higher Education
Texas A&M University
Doctorate
Educational Leadership and Policy
University of Oregon
Life & Career Milestones
My path in life has been direct
1.
Having been an athlete in school, I went into college thinking I’d pursue physical therapy.
2.
I got involved with different organizations and realized that physical therapy wasn’t quite the right fit, so I switched to occupational therapy because it was more creative.
3.
I realized again that occupational therapy wasn’t quite right either and that what resonated most with me was the educational process and the ability to effect change with new knowledge and skills.
4.
I ultimately earned my bachelor’s degree in psychology and then went on to earn my master’s degree in educational administration.
5.
I started my career in higher education, first as the assistant director of housing and Greek life at Hope College and then as an intake and investigations coordinator at the University of Michigan.
6.
I went back to school for my Ph.D. in educational leadership from the University of Oregon, where I also worked in various educational administration roles.
7.
I eventually moved into the nonprofit space and worked as both an evaluation officer and then strategy director for Lumina Foundation.
8.
I now work for the Competency-Based Education Network, where I’m focused on helping to expand competency-based learning.
Defining Moments
How I responded to discouragement
THE NOISE
Messages from Myself:
Am I going to lose my whole professional identity if I make this change?
How I responded:
When I decided I wanted to move on from a position in higher education to try and make a bigger impact, I worried that I was going to lose my professional identity and the network I had built over the last 15 years. However, after making the change, my network was still there. As things progress and grow, we're all going to have to learn to shift and change. It can be scary but everything you built will still be there backing you up.