Dr. Alexxis Avalon

For the past 14 years, Dr. Alexxis Avalon has taught various courses at the International Academy of Design and Technology in Tampa, including Fashion Design, Graphic Design and some Interior Design. She has an extensive educational and professional history that includes fashion, art and design, engineering research, editing texts and newsletter articles, teaching, and retail experience. She was also selected by IADT students to be in several editions of "Who's Who Among America's Teachers."

Avalon graduated from The Rodgers and Silverman School of Fashion Design and Merchandising at Kent State University in Ohio in 1989. She earned a dual Bachelor's degree: one in Fashion Design and the other from the Honors College with the completion of a thesis entitled "The Creative Process of a Fashion Designer." She earned her Master's degree in Art Education in 1992 from the University of South Florida. In 2001, Avalon achieved an Expressive Arts Certificate from the University of South Florida's Graduate School. And, in 2006, she completed her Doctorate in Curriculum and Instruction in Interdisciplinary Education at the University of South Florida.

• Merchandising and working in retail for the PETRIES Company.
• Working at Walt Disney World Resorts in Merchandising as a sales hostess and in Creative Costuming at the MGM Disney Studios as a costume specialist.
• Illustrating fashion designs for Fashion Seal Apparel's clients and Las Vegas casinos.
• Teaching for five years as an Art Specialist in Elementary and Secondary Schools – with children who had special disabilities and skill sets – using art for therapy and education.
• Producing numerous articles for the Florida Department of Transportation and the Center for Urban Transportation Research at the University of South Florida.
• Developing a $271,000 grant for the University of South Florida's College of Fine Arts for AmeriCorps. Through the grant, Tampa Bay area Boys and Girls Clubs received funding for the Arts in order to have after-school arts programs for five years.
• Lecturing and teaching about print making for three years at the prestigious USF Graphicstudio.
• Teaching Art and Design in the College of Fine Arts at the University of South Florida and Visual Communications at the University of Tampa.
• Practicing Feng Shui, the Chinese ancient art of placement that she learned from Grandmaster Lin Yun. Avalon was featured twice on Fox 13 Television with the "Kathy Fountain Show" to discuss the benefits of Feng Shui.