Expertise is richly varied. But collaboration, which combines different perspectives, can generate ideas richer than any single person can have. The three authors have brought you richness about human expertise and encourage you to add to this site (see the Respond page).

David K. Dirlam, Ph.D., Researcher, Educator, Author, and Entrepreneur. I am the author of Teachers, learners, nodes of practice: Theory and methodology for identifying knowledge development. Routledge Explorations in Developmental Psychology, 2017. That book was written for researchers, but included a 108-page appendix entitle “Envisioning Field Guides to Knowledge Development.” Those pages resulted from developmental interviews of over 350 experts. With the help of the other two authors, this site will fulfill their vision.

Sandra L. Dirlam retired from over 30 years as a French language analyst, teacher, branch chief, and language outreach officer for the Federal Government. She was President for 5 years of the Crypto-Linguistic Association and a Director of the National Museum of Language. Her international perspective and keen eye to language have greatly enhanced the usability of this site.

Lonny Samuels has the LCSW-C, the highest level of social work licensure in Maryland, allowing for independent practice in clinical settings, including the diagnosis and treatment of mental health conditions. His special expertise includes medical social work, opioid addiction recovery, substance abuse office management, and therapy for co-occurring disorders (combinations of substance abuse and mental health). Guide to Expertise attracted him by the usefulness of transformative learning to the many work and daily life dilemmas he explores with his clients and personally. His creative and empathetic expertise pervades the final version of this site.