ELIZABETH ALLEN-PENNEBAKER, M.A., M.St, D.Phil

EDUCATION

October 2001D.Phil. in German Literature, with concentration in Austrian literature,
University of Oxford. Dissertation: “‘Ideas Instead of Bombs’: An Examination of Anti-Communism in Cold War Austria and Its Reflection in Five Novels (1950-1962)”, an interdisciplinary exploration of the sources and manifestations of anti-Communist discourse in Austria.

21 June 1996Master of Studies in European Literature (German), with Distinction
(Highest Honors), University of Oxford.

19 May 1996M.A. in German Literature, University of Vermont. G.P.A.: 4.0.

2 June 1991B.A. in English Literature, cum laude, Williams College.

CURRENT EMPLOYMENT AND ENTREPRENEURIAL ACTIVITIES

Adjunct Instructor, CORE Division, Champlain College, Burlington, VT (since 2011). Teach Concepts of Self and Concepts of Community, the first- and second-semester CORE courses for first year students.

Property Manager, Onion River Company Property Management, Winooski, VT (since 2008)and for personally-owned properties in Burlington, VT (since 2003) and Costa Rica (since 2005). Direct and participate hands-on in all major renovations and routine maintenance work for twenty-seven residential or commercial units. Manage all advertising and rental negotiations; serve as primary contact for all tenants. Supervisebookkeeping and legal affairs.

Co-Owner, Vermont Design Works, Winooski, VT (since 2003). In addition to management activities, write website copy and blogs for clients. Author of a full-length eBook that helps clients make sense of the wide array of web technology options available to them. Served from 2003-2006 as Content Director, and for most of 2006 as Project Manager; duties for those roles included developing website information architectures and database specifications.

TEACHING EXPERIENCE

Fall Semester 2003First-Year Composition Instructor, Champlain College, Burlington, Vermont. Provided a comprehensive grammar review and helped students improve the clarity of their structure and argumentation. At the same time, students were encouraged to expand their horizons through assignments that required them to interact with the community and report on their experiences. Taught three sections of twenty-five students each.

June 2003, June 2004Faculty Member, Governor’s Institutes of Vermont (IT), Burlington, Vermont. As part of the annual one-week Information Technology program for gifted Vermont high school students, taught seminars on designing an effective website for social activism.

Spring Semester 2003Basic Writing Instructor, Community College of Vermont, St. Albans, Vermont. Taught fundamentals of grammar, composition, research, and citation to students whose standardized test scores indicated that they were not yet ready to take on college-level classes. By the end of the term, the test scores of all students qualified them for more advanced coursework. Unanimously rated “outstanding” teacher by students.

2001-2002Faculty Member at St. Paul’s School, Concord, New Hampshire. Instructor for the school’s innovative interdisciplinary Humanities program. Taught two ninth-grade sections, which exploredWestern history, literature, art, and music from ancient Greece through the Middle Ages.Facilitated one student-designed seminar course for final-year students. Assisted in sports coaching and served as a dorm advisor.

April-July 2000ESL Tutor and Resources Manager, Oxford Intensive School of English, Oxford, England. Tutored high school, university and adult students in writing, literature, and business English; reorganized large and neglected library of teaching materials and assisted with the installation of a state-of-the-art computer language laboratory.

1993-2000Freelance ESL Tutor, Translator (German-English), and Copy Editor.

1992-1993Student Assistant, Institute of European Studies, Vienna, Austria. Served as receptionist in a busy bilingual office, and as an informal advisor to more than one hundred students as they adjusted to living abroad.

1991-1992Fulbright English Teaching Assistant, Vienna, Austria. Provided instruction in American language and culture at two Austrian secondary schools.

PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL SKILLS, ACTIVITIES, AND OPINIONS

  • Member of the Board of Directors of the Vermont Stage Company, Burlington, VT.
  • Trained in Shiatsu massage and the basic principles of Chinese Medicine, including needling techniques; love and deeply respect the Chinese way of thinking about sickness and health.
  • Speak fluent German with a decided Austrian accent; occasional freelance translator (German-English); also speak abysmal but functional Spanish.
  • Know how to use power tools to build and fix things and particularly like to do so in front of little girls (as a role model) and sexist guys (to put them in their place).
  • Volunteered extensively for Progressive Party campaigns and served as paid campaign coordinator for Peter Clavelle’s 2003 mayoral campaign.Passionately support single-payer health care.
  • Widely traveled in Europe; live part-time in Costa Ricain the deepest, darkest part of each winter; spent four months living in a rural village in Botswanaduring college.
  • Have the usual computer skills (Word, Excel, PowerPoint), plus some useful extras, including knowledge of QuickBooks and an understanding of website usability principles, database design, and search engine optimization.
  • Coxswain for college crews at Oxford (right size, right decibel level).
  • Love and spoil rotten my cats and my dog, who is also my running partner (she likes to do yoga with me, too).