Student Profile Archives

Keith Curran
"Securing America--Through Training & Development"

Keith Curran, an M.A. student in UMBC's ISD (Instructional Systems Development) Training and Development Program, is Chief of the Screener Training Division in the Office of Law Enforcement/Security Training at the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). Curran develops the training programs for the 60,000 airport security screeners that became federalized under the Aviation and Transportation Security Act.

Curran's experience in the training and development field began as an assistant professor [government] at the United States Coast Guard Academy, where he advanced to executive officer of cadet training.

While still working for the Coast Guard, he became chief of Training Resources and Facilities, managing a $300M training budget and providing facilities support for the Coast Guard's nationwide training centers. When the Coast Guard offered him a position to supervise the Performance Training Division, Curran knew that a master's in training and development would benefit him in his new position as well as give him the credentials to back up his years of experience.

And when looking for the right program, Curran found that UMBC had just that. "UMBC's ISD Program is the only one in the Baltimore-Washington region to offer a concentration in human performance improvement. The program offers a well-rounded curriculum that emphasizes ISD and its application to all forms of training delivery," says Curran.

Curran's participation in the program has provided him with many new professional opportunities. He has applied his knowledge of human performance technology to improve the internal communication within a local company. In addition, Curran has also been able to network and teach. "The network between students and faculty has provided me with a great opportunity to enhance my knowledge and skills outside the formal education received in the program. It has led me to a number of independent consulting opportunities, as well as the opportunity to teach," says Curran.

When given the intense responsibility of improving performance and ensuring the training of airport security, Curran rises to the task. He is currently working on improving the performance of x-ray screeners (using HPT) and designing/developing an independent certification program for the screeners.

And after a long day's work, Curran can say that "… the ISD Training and Development Program is the best program in the Baltimore-Washington region for giving you the total, systems perspective of ISD"…"I would heartily recommend it to others."