Cynthia Washington

Cynthia Marie Washington is a higher education professional with 16 years of experience in career development, teaching, and learning design. She currently serves as Associate Director of Career Education at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) where she leads a team in developing intentional career readiness initiatives, career development strategies, and impactful learning experiences designed to support student growth and transformation.

In addition to her career education work she designed Career Success Strategies, a blueprint course she continues to teach within Tulane SoPA’s Business and Leadership Studies program. Cynthia is also a contract Instructional Designer with SoPA’s Learning Design and Development Team. Her work integrates learner-centered instructional design, experiential learning, and emerging technologies to create engaging and impactful educational experiences.

Cynthia’s teaching and coaching philosophy is grounded in empathy, strategic thinking, and action-oriented growth. She views career and professional development as a lifelong process of exploration, reflection, and continuous learning. A strong advocate for the Designing Your Life framework, she has applied life design principles throughout her own professional journey and enjoys helping students do the same.

Drawing from her earlier career as a flight attendant, Cynthia has maintained a lifelong passion for travel, reading, discovering exceptional coffee, and exploring wines as an enthusiast.