About
My name is Catherine Ford and I am, among other things, a doctoral student at the University of Phoenix, in the Management and Organizational Leadership (DM) program. This blog is designed to be a documentation of my journey through this program. That journey includes work, school, family, social activities, and reactions to current events.
I have always been drawn to leadership positions and my doctoral program is no exception. No matter what main topic a doctoral student is studying, the primary goal of getting a doctoral degree is to be a leader in that field. The field of management is changing as communication techniques change and become more democratic than ever before. I am excited by these changes and want to be instrumental in introducing them to traditional organizations and businesses.
Each contact I make and each year I am learning more about new ways to network, communicate, and exchange ideas. You can follow me on Twitter and Facebook. I also produce a podcast called Student Tech. This podcast concentrates on introducing students to free and low-cost technology that can make their educations easier and more productive.
To augment my doctoral studies, I have also joined two Toastmasters International clubs (Good-to-Great and GO Speakers!) where I have accepted the leadership roles of VP of Public Relations and Webmaster. I am also the Club Mentor for GO Speakers!. Recently I achieved my first two Toastmasters awards – the Competent Communicator and the Competent Leader. I am looking forward to working my way through the Toastmasters educational program.
Finally, I live in Sacramento County, California with my wonderful husband, Mark, and our beloved dogs, Roobee & Shasta. My hobbies include walking our dogs, gardening, and applying my creativity to our home. I also enjoy spending time with my friends and family members. While Mark and I have no children of our own (besides our 4-legged babies – see the photo above), we do enjoy spending time – when possible – with our nieces and nephews. Between both sides of our family, we have five nieces, two nephews (both named Shane!) and two great-nephews. We don’t see these kids as much as we’d like, but love them all very much!
