Adult learners need specific competencies to clearly express their unique ideas, display information literacy, and effectively communicate in professional settings. As the coauthor of the Essential Guide to Critical Reading and Writing, I have lectured extensively on helping adults improve their composition skills through direct mentoring and coaching. My courses involve strategies for reading complicated academic texts where critical thinking is framed as a practicable research skill. As a university-level classroom instructor for over two decades, I co-construct knowledge with my students. Writing and speaking well are crucial skills for mobilizing useful ideas and empowering each learner to create positive change in their lives and in the world. The majority of my professional life has been spent in higher education, and I taught high school English as a Second Language in Eastern Europe for three years (1994-1997) following my graduation from the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee. After completing my Masters of Fine Arts, I taught in St. Scholastica’s Accelerated Degree Program in St. Paul as Management Theory and APA Writing teacher where I also edited capstones from MBA, MAM, and other graduate students (2001-2008). From 2008 until 2022, I served as a doctoral chair, capstone mentor, and methodologist at Walden University. It was a joy to serve as the Executive Director for the Center for Faculty Excellence. There, my team and I oversaw two academic conferences each year, providing 2,500 faculty members dynamic faculty development content both in person and online.