Q: What work experiences led you to this position with the University Center for Teaching and Learning?
A: I am a proud Pitt alumna, and my first job was at WQED producing television programming. From there, I spent over a decade working on media assets for leadership development training before making a switch into freelance content creation with teaching media concepts at the high school and college level mixed in. Along the way, I got a master’s degree in education to support my interest in teaching. I got to know Teaching Center staff while working as adjunct faculty here at Pitt, teaching broadcasting classes for the Film Studies Department. When a role opened up that combined my interests in making media and education, I had to jump on it.

Q: What kind of projects are the most exciting or interesting for you?
A: I love using video to show people new ideas. I’m proud of reporting that I produced almost two decades ago now, to raise awareness of health disparities facing Pittsburgh’s minority populations. That won an Emmy award, but more importantly it helped health professionals raise awareness of the issues which are much more widely known now than they were then. The stories we told helped people understand, justified expanded funding, and captured interest from other communities to replicate the solutions we profiled.

That project meant a lot to me. Most of my projects since then have had some kind of informative angle, and what I anticipate working on here at Pitt will be similar. They’ll create opportunities or make a positive impact, and help people see or know something important that they didn’t before.

Q: What do you love most about your job and why?
A: Video production constantly puts me in interesting places with fascinating people.

In other jobs, I’ve followed moms on their journeys to have their babies and start their families, profiled how a nuclear power plant in China uses leadership development, and learned to cook on the set of a live show. In my first month at Pitt, I learned about international business law, saw how ER doctors administer oral painkillers, and helped a dean welcome a new class of Pitt students.

I love helping those fascinating people tell their own interesting stories, and I’m looking forward to doing much more of this with my team and the amazing learning community here at Pitt.

Q: What do you hope to accomplish in your new role here at the Teaching Center?
A: Students coming into our university not only grew up with a television in their pocket, but due to the pandemic almost every new student we’ll get from now on will have experience with (and in many cases, and affinity for) learning in the digital space. The demand is there, and I see my job as the supply. I have a great team, and I hope faculty and the community in general will reach out with some ideas for videos that support learning. If you have an idea or even just an inkling that media would meet a need for you for one class, a whole course or something else, fill out our form and we’ll start a conversation.

Q: Final question: We heard you don’t go by your first name?
A: Yes, when I started teaching here “Mrs. Speed” and “Professor Speed” felt too formal, and “Elizabeth” or any nickname felt too informal. I let my first class here vote on options. They chose “Speed,” and it stuck!