Tell us a little bit about yourself!
I live in Utah, north of Salt Lake City. I have eight children and six grandchildren. I enjoy reading, but I prefer reading to the grandkids! I also love to travel with my wife (before the pandemic, of course).
How did you learn about Scrum?
I got a job where I was asked to be a Product Owner. I was a Product Owner for over two years, and I learned that I prefer working with people and uplifting my team over working on products and results. I love being my team’s cheerleader, celebrating their wins, coaching them along in the Scrum framework, working on instilling an Agile mindset for the organization culture! I realized I would be a better fit as a Scrum Master, so I got my certification and was a Scrum Master for over eight years.
What made you want to start the Path to Certified Scrum Trainer (CST)?
I taught software since the 1990s in Colorado and Utah. For me, I realized how rewarding it is to be a part of a student’s a-ha moment—when you can see the “lightbulb go off” expression on their face… when they understand what you’re teaching. The student walks in and out of your classroom as two different people, and it’s inspiring to know that I am a part of that.
I love being able to work with students in the CSM and CSPO classes, because I have no idea how many generations will be impacted with these certifications. It’s more than a class—the skills can change the trajectory of their lives, positively impact their families, increase their salaries, their self-confidence and self-esteem from having worked for and earned something. It makes a big difference to people, and I really enjoy being a small part of that.
For those considering the Path to Certified Scrum Trainer (CST), what are some things they should know?
I would say if you want to become a CST, you need patience, perseverance, passion, humility, focus, and a willingness to keep learning…learning the content, learning better ways to teach/instruct, learning to accept feedback and criticisms and to always look forward to the next opportunity of students to make a difference in their lives and their families lives.
To me, the path to being a CST it is like the old fable of the person walking along the beach, stopping, picking something up, tossing it back into the ocean. The person keeps doing this every few yards when a couple comes along and notices that the person is picking up starfish that have been left on the beach by the low tide and that the person is tossing them back into the ocean, one by one.
The couple stops and says: there are hundreds if not THOUSANDS of starfish left on the beach by the tide, how can you POSSIBLY make a difference? The person stops, scoops up another starfish, tosses it back into the ocean, looks at the couple and says…I made a difference to that one.
