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Chelsie's CV / Resume Overview

Explore the highlights below or head directly to check out my hybrid CV/Resume. (Fresh CV/resume coming soon!)

Student

I have a Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (2011). I hold a Master of Science in Geography from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (2014) where I worked under the guidance of Dr. Gillian Acheson. In 2019 I started my doctoral studies at the University of California Santa Barbara under the guidance of Dr. Kathy Baylis and Dr. Mary Hegarty.

I'm a member of the American Association of Geographers and the

Association of Pacific Coast Geographers.

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Academia

Teacher

Whether mentoring my team when I worked in information technology, showing new firefighters the ropes or teaching formal university classes, I have a passion for teaching and sharing information.

 Fire service ropes & knots? Always ready.

Human Geography? You betcha!

Computer network troubleshooting? No one pings harder than I do.

Helping students get ready for the job market? Totes McGotes!

Summarize it:

My 10+ years of experience working full time at a fast paced, global information technology company has provided me with sharpened tech skills, quick critical thinking abilities, complex mitigation strategies and people management skills. My time as a university instructor to undergraduate students has provided me with a strong foundation of researching, teaching, planning, learning, writing and mentoring skills. Finally, my 12 years as a firefighter/ lieutenant have given me a robust understanding of tactics, planning, training and the culture of the municipal fire service. I'm an effective leader who is always learning and is enthusiastic about helping those around me.
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Fire Service

I joined the fire service in 2008 and knew I found my passion! In 2015 I earned the rank of Lieutenant, becoming the first female to promote to an officer role in my department.

I hold fire service certifications through the Illinois Fire Service Institute and Southwestern Illinois College in firefighting, fire officer and various rescue topics. I am also an NREMT certified EMT-B.

I'm a proud member of Women In Fire.

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"Kick down doors for others to walk through."

- Chief Kristen Ziman

Technology

I joined a global IT firm to put myself through college, starting as a level 1 network troubleshooter. I quickly promoted to network technician working on globally deployed network hardware from Cisco, Juniper, Lucent and others. Working with people across the globe to mitigate outages not only made me realize the power of connectivity but also of clear communication.

After promoting into management I used my tech skills to resolve complex problems by uniting stakeholders with various skillsets from across the globe

My interest in technology has shifted to R, Python, GIS, graphic design and information accessibility, but it's supported by the same curiosity and analytics as it was in my network technician days.

Professional Development

Leadership

My professional leadership experience began while working at a local coffee shop in high-school, where I promoted to assistant manager. Serving as an operations manager for a global technology company allowed me to expand my leaderships skills in both scale and diversity. Attaining the rank of Lieutenant within the fire service has given me the opportunity to further develop as a leader through both day to day operations and in mission critical environments.


I believe leadership is about getting a foothold and then helping others to do the same. It is also necessary to continually refresh and enhance these skills and I seek new information through books and developmental seminars or conferences; while identifying those that exhibit the traits or values I want to personify. Folks such as Chief Kristen Ziman, Fire Commissioner Dany Cotton (Ret.) and Public Servant Gregg Favre are at the top of my list.

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