When I was in college, I changed my major several times. After obtaining a master’s degree in Humanities, I spent two years in the medical field. Even after entering my current PhD program, I have toggled between areas of focus, and as I approach my dissertation, the idea of landing on a single topic seems daunting. At one time, I was ashamed and thought that perhaps I was indecisive--or even fickle--in my life choices and pursuits. However, after evaluating the thread running through the past two decades of life choices, I arrived at a single, simple conclusion. I value education. Education has been a theme in every position I've taken—and it remains the driving force behind my current academic pursuits. From the ads that appear on my screen, to my Netflix suggestions, the world around me reflects this single axiom for my life.
As a private school teacher and college professor, I've seen the benefit of education in an academic setting and how it shapes worldviews and personal development. Most recently, I’ve seen the impact of education and professional development within a corporation. My most recent role was as Director of Education for a software company. As such, I was charged with creating and developing a program from greenfield. Within months, we saw the benefit of prioritizing education within a team of experts. We created courses and implemented an LMS system to house and monitor this content. The beginning was not without challenges, and I failed. A lot.
But two things remained:
(1) My CEO (who supervised me) created a safe space to fail.
(2) We implemented a feedback loop.
Because of these items, we continuously course corrected as we grew the program and experienced tangible benefits. Investing in the development of our internal team increased retention, enhanced staff morale, and ultimately improved our bottom line.
Meeting with Maxx
When I first met with MaxxContent I was overwhelmed by the passion of this team to activate on their mission:
To inspire and encourage users worldwide to embrace continuous learning and self-improvement.
This team’s vision is to provide solutions (via content and software) to help organizations succeed and individuals grow. MaxxContent began within the corrections industry, and over the past years, we've expanded and now have a goal to provide these solutions across all industries—from medical continuing education credits, to corporate professional development, to academic institutions.
The first time I met with the MaxxContent team, I recognized that their ambition aligned with mine, and I am honored to be a part of this team as Director of Business Development. I've already learned from them in the weeks leading up to my first official week, and I hope to provide the same level of excellence as I've seen among their ranks. I’m excited to help our clients not just do the work… but do it better.
Erika Scrimpshire
Director of Business Development, MaxxContent