Dr. Anant Agarwal is the Founder and CEO of edX and Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at MIT. Anant won the Maurice Wilkes prize for computer architecture, and MIT’s Smullin and Jamieson prizes for teaching. He is also the 2016 recipient of the Harold W. McGraw, Jr. Prize for Higher Education, which recognized his work in advancing the MOOC movement. As a CEO of a global nonprofit, Anant is helping to transform traditional education, removing the barriers of cost, location and access. edX is reimagining the possibilities of education, providing the highest-quality, stackable learning experiences including the groundbreaking MicroMasters(R) programs. Additionally, he is a recipient of the Padma Shri award from the President of India and was named the Yidan Prize for Education Development Laureate in 2018.
Dr. MJ Bishop is Associate Vice Chancellor and director of the University System of Maryland’s William E. Kirwan Center for Academic Innovation, established in 2013 to create a collaborative culture of academic innovation that catalyzes new ways of thinking about student success, translates ideas into action, and scales and sustains promising practices. Informed by the diversity of USM’s 12 public higher education institutions, findings from the learning sciences, and capabilities of emerging technologies, the Center leads statewide efforts to implement, evaluate, and scale and sustain innovations aimed at student success. Prior to USM, Dr. Bishop was Associate Professor and Director of Lehigh University’s Teaching, Learning, and Technology Program where she was responsible for the institution’s graduate programs in instructional technology and teacher education. While at Lehigh, Dr. Bishop received several awards for her research and teaching including the prestigious Stabler Award for Excellence in Research and Teaching.
Dr. Rovy Branon is the vice provost leading University of Washington’s Continuum College in Seattle. UW Continuum College serves over 55,000 learners annually through 110 professional master’s degrees, 100 certificates, International English Language Programs, Summer Quarter, UW in the High School, Conference Services, and the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute. Dr. Branon holds a Ph.D. in Instructional Systems Technology with a minor in Human-computer Interaction, from Indiana University. He has spoken at more than 100 conferences on the future of lifelong learning, technology and continuing education. His advocacy for increasing access to higher education and workforce development has been featured in: The New York Times, Geekwire, Fox Business, CBS Tech Republic, The Seattle Times, USA Today, Portland NBC affiliate KGW, and numerous regional publications. Dr. Branon served as board president of the University Professional and Continuing Education Association (UPCEA) 2020-2021.
Dr. Bertien Broekhans has over 25 years of experience in international higher education as an instructor, researcher, consultant, advisor, administrator, program coordinator, curriculum designer, and learner-centred learning expert. Trained as an environmental engineer, experienced as reflective practitioner, academic researcher and educator. Still fascinated by the phenomena of knowledge and learning, at the moment these converge into portfolio and product management activities at TUDelft | Extension School for Continuing Education. As professional, he would like to make a meaningful difference in innovation and improvement of the public good: searching for (contribution to) solutions for societal challenges, co-creating shared knowledge for strategies, policies, and researching informed decision making. He loves to critically interrogate, to constructively answer, coupling and combining various “sometimes surprising’” perspectives and methodologies. Skills to connect professionals, scientists and learners interactively to confront opinions, perspectives, discourses in dialogue, research, and education all contribute to deliver an engaging learning environment for many.
Dr. Troy Courville is the Director of Assessment and Educational Insights and Interim Director of Learning Design at Georgia Tech Professional Education (GTPE). Prior to his tenure at GTPE, he was the Assistant Director of Clinical Psychometrics at Pearson (2015-2017), and held various roles at Texas A&M University-Central Texas (2009-2015) with the last being Assistant Provost and Associate Vice President of Academic Affairs. He has contributed to several assessment instruments, including the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Fifth Edition (WISC-V) ‚ Scandinavia, California Verbal Learning Test-Third Edition (CVLT-3), Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Fifth Edition (WISC-V)-Netherlands, Wechsler Preschool and Primary School Scale of Intelligence-Fourth Edition (WPPSI-IV), Wechsler Nonverbal Scale of Intelligence (WNV), and several international adaptations. He also served as the lead psychometrician for the English version of the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS). He received his Ph.D. in Educational Psychology from Texas A&M University.
Thomas Hoover is the Chief Information Officer at Louisiana Tech University in Ruston, Louisiana where he is responsible for creating and implementing the technology vision. He has also served as Chief Information Officer and Dean of the Library at the University of Louisiana at Monroe (ULM) and as Associate Vice-Chancellor and Chief Information Officer at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (UTC). Thomas has worked in Information Technology in higher education since 1999. Prior to his appointment at ULM and UTC, he served as the Director of Instructional Technology Support at Pepperdine University in Malibu, California. He is working on his doctorate in educational leadership at Louisiana Tech University. Thomas was born in southern California and has a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science and History from the University of California at Davis and a Master’s in Public Policy from Pepperdine University’s School of Public Policy. He is married and has five children. He enjoys golfing and traveling.
Dr. Donna Johnson currently serves as the Assistant Vice President for Academic Advancement & Partnerships for Louisiana Tech University, where she oversees the Louisiana Tech Academic Success Center in Bossier City, the Tech Barksdale Program, and the Tech Shreveport Center. Dr. Johnson was formerly the Executive Director of Caddo/Bossier Partnerships and Military Outreach for Northwestern State University. Prior to working in higher education, she was a secondary English teacher in Texas and Louisiana public school systems. Through her career Dr. Johnson has managed multiple university expansion and development initiatives, bolstered educational advancement in support of the DoD, and assumed teaching roles with Louisiana Tech, Northwestern State, Bossier Parish Community College, and Ashford University. Dr. Johnson has been active in service to the University and community through participation on various committees and work groups, including serving as President of Open Arms Adoptions, serving on the State Taskforce for Adult Learners, serving on the Louisiana Women in Higher Education (LAWHE) state steering committee, and serving on various committees with the Shreveport and Bossier Chambers of Commerce. Dr. Johnson holds a Bachelor of Science in Occupational Education from Wayland Baptist University, a Master of Education from Wayland Baptist University, a Master of Arts (English) from Northwestern State University, and a Doctor of Education from Louisiana Tech University.
Dr. David Joyner is Executive Director of Online Education and Online Master of Science in Computer Science (OMSCS) in Georgia Tech’s College of Computing. His research focuses on online education and learning at scale, especially for-credit at the graduate and undergraduate levels. His emphasis is on designing learning experiences that leverage the opportunities of the online environment to compensate for the loss of synchronous collocated class time. As part of his work, Joyner instructs several online graduate and undergraduate classes, teaching over 15,000 for-credit students since 2015. Joyner has received several awards for his work in teaching online, including the 2019 University System of Georgia’s Regents’ Teaching Excellence Award for Online Teaching, 2018 Georgia Tech Center for Teaching & Learning Curriculum Innovation Award, and the 2016 Georgia Tech College of Computing Lockheed Excellence in Teaching Award. Joyner’s book on the future of online learning, The Distributed Classroom (co-authored with Charles Isbell), will be released in Fall 2021 by MIT Press.
Janine Kiers is Business Team Manager at the TU Delft Extension School for Continuing Education. She oversees the educational portfolio for professional learners, and aligns the content, format and learning experience to meet the needs of this specific target group, while balancing this with the university’s objectives of educating the world, improving campus education, growing reputation and use in research. Setting up online learning at TU Delft virtually from scratch, she has worked on course development, teacher training, process management, implementing change and product & portfolio management, resulting in approaching 200 courses, varying from individual MOOCs and Professional Education courses to Professional Certificate programs, in English and in Spanish. With a background in Biology and Bio-engineering, she has international working experience in industry and academia, ranging from production development at a biopharmaceuticals manufacturer and institutional development in a Filipino university to setting up and teaching in innovative courses and programs in Life Science & Technology at the industry-academe interface.
Dr. Jeonghyun (Jonna) Lee is a Research Scientist II and serves as an Assistant Director of Research in Education Innovation at Georgia Institute of Technology’s Center for 21st Century Universities (C21U). Her expertise is on the relationship between a range of instructional practices and students’ learning motivation and engagement from behavioral, cognitive, and socio-cognitive perspectives. Based on her background as a learning scientist, Lee is interested in how the application of technology facilitates effective learning as well as student success in higher education settings. She received her master’s and doctoral degrees from the University of Texas.
Matt Lisle is the Director of Digital Learning Technologies at the Center for 21st Century Universities. He brings a combination of professional and academic experience in the fields of instructional design, web design and development, and content strategy to his work. His main professional focus is the creation and development of technology-enhanced learning experiences. He received his bachelor and master’s degrees from the University of Georgia.
Dr. Martin Maurer holds a master’s degree and a PhD in Human Resource Education from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Formerly the director of the University of Illinois’ online Master of Science in Accountancy program (iMSA) and the Margolis Market Information Laboratory, he currently works as the Director of eLearning for Accreditation and Online Initiatives at the University of Illinois’ Gies College of Business. His academic training and research focused on training and development in business and organizational settings, and his dissertation research explored the impact of team dynamics on quality improvement initiatives in the health care industry. His prior work has been published in the Journal of Knowledge Management and in the Action Research journal.
Nancy O’Neill Nancy O’Neill has been with the University System of Maryland’s Kirwan Center for Academic Innovation since 2016. She supports an array of the Center’s projects, including work in alternative credentials and open educational resources. She leads the Council for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning (CATL), an advisory group to the Center. Previously, she directed the teaching and learning center at the University of Baltimore from 2012 to 2016 and before that spent a decade on the senior staff at the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U). Nancy earned a master’s degree in American Studies and a master’s degree in College Student Personnel from the University of Maryland, and a bachelor’s in journalism and social criticism from the University of Buffalo. She is currently a doctoral student in higher education management at the University of Pennsylvania, where her dissertation is focused on how faculty use open educational resources in relation to their teaching practice.
Dr. Kelly Otter is Dean of Georgetown University’s School of Continuing Studies (SCS). In this role, she oversees professional graduate programs; liberal studies programs at the undergraduate, master’s and doctoral levels; professional certificates and custom education; summer and special programs. She previously served in academic leader roles at Northeastern University, the University of Pittsburgh, the College of New Rochelle, and New York University. Her portfolio comprises academic program development, international education and partnerships, the design and management of technology-mediated education infrastructures and programs, adult and workforce education, and global business and program development. Dr. Otter is a member of the University Professional and Continuing Education Association (UPCEA) and has taught in the fields of media studies and interdisciplinary research.
Dr. Shenita Ray is the Vice Dean for Education and Faculty Affairs at Georgetown University’s School of Continuing Studies. Before her current role, Ray was the Senior Associate Dean for Faculty and Academic Affairs and Director of Online Operations in the School of Continuing Studies at Georgetown University. This followed working at Virginia Union University as the Director for Distance and Continuing Education and the University of Wisconsin where Ray was the Associate Director Distance Learning Center and the Director for Midwest Culturally Inclusive Conference. Prior to her career in higher education, Ray worked for General Electric as a BlackBelt and as an Information Technology leader as part of the company’s Information Management Leadership Program. Ray earned her BS in Finance and Information Technology and her M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction from Marquette University. She earned a PhD in Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis from University of Wisconsin- Madison.
Dr. Norma Scagnoli has been involved in educational innovations as a researcher and instructor for over 20 years. At present, she is the Assistant Vice-Chancellor of Enterprise Learning Innovation at Northeastern University. She was formally the Chief Learning Officer and Research Associate Professor at the Univ of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. In her career, she has focused on the use of technologies to improve learning opportunities and access to education, including the design of online degrees such as IMBA and other MOOC based initiatives. An instructional designer at heart, she has investigated the impact of learning designs in new environments and how they apply to adult education and development. Dr. Scagnoli holds a master’s degree in Education and a Ph.D. in Human Resource Development. Her contributions to the discipline can be found in national and international research publications.
Dr. Jennifer Schwedler serves as the Associate Dean, Online Leaning for Continuing and Professional Education at the University of California, Davis. She provides strategic direction to the team responsible for creating instructional experiences that support the delivery of high-quality online learning of credit and noncredit academic programs. She collaborates with faculty and academic leaders across the Division and the Campus on new programs, including selection of delivery channels, instructional design and technology, learner assessment and engagement, faculty and student support, faculty development and learning analytics. She holds a doctorate in Educational Leadership and Management from Drexel University. Before joining UC Davis, Dr. Schwedler held several academic technology and design leadership positions at California State University, Sacramento, most recently serving as associate vice president of Information Resources and Technology.
Dr. Karen Sibley served Brown University as an and action-oriented leader building new programs and policy/action initiatives of key significance to the University for over 38 years. Most recently, she provided guidance for the provost’s strategic plan, Brown and the Innovation Economy. She served as Brown’s board representative for the new RIHUB at the Innovation Center in Providence and worked with a range of stake holders from faculty and students at Brown, to government, industry and other educational institutions and non-profit organizations. She served as a key conduit and organizer for members of the campus community to connect with regional entrepreneurial, business and government leaders. She was a member of the provost’s strategic planning team for 20/21 curriculum design and faculty support online instruction during the Covid-19 pandemic. After many years as dean for summer and pre-college programs, Karen served from 2014 – 19 as the inaugural dean for Brown’s School of Professional Studies, creating and managing a portfolio of executive master degrees as well as continuing to oversee undergraduate and pre-college summer programs enrolling over 7,000 students in residential, blended and online courses. Dean Sibley is a forward-thinking academic leader eager to use innovative design, evolving technologies and dynamic circumstances to develop access to high quality learning opportunities for life-long higher education students. VP Sibley has also been involved in leadership across campus including co-chairing the Department of Education with particular responsibility for the Master of Arts in Teaching program, chairing and serving as a member of many senior level search committees and strategic planning task forces. She held national leadership roles as president of both the University Professional and Continuing Education Association and the North American Association of Summer Sessions. During her long career in higher education, she was involved in many institutional responsibilities including multi-institution collaboration and degree design, accreditation, organizational administration, student affairs, international programs, career development and public service engagement. Sibley completed her Doctorate in Higher Education Management from the Graduate School of Education at the University of Pennsylvania, a Master of Arts in Teaching from Brown University and received her bachelor’s degree magna cum laude from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.
Dr. Tim Stevens is an interdisciplinary scientist with expertise on media, education and the information society. He studies the role of information and communication technologies in education development and societal change. Tim has a passion for building bridges; across the sciences but also at the interface of science, education and society.
Dr. Peter Stokes is a Managing Director in the higher education practice at Huron Consulting Group. His work with colleges and universities focuses on strategy, innovation, and growth efforts. He has previously served at Vice President for Global Strategy and Business Development at Northeastern University, and as Executive Vice President and Chief Research Officer at Eduventures.
Dr. Arun Surendran is the Strategic Director and Principal of Trinity College of Engineering Trivandrum where he pioneered faculty entrepreneurship. While doing his PhD in Aerospace Engineering, he was awarded the prestigious Eppright Outstanding International Student award, the highest honor given by the Texas A&M University to any international student. Dr. Arun is the Honorary Fellow for Robotics for the Kerala Startup Mission, the state government body for promoting entrepreneurship. He is one of the founder directors of Adcy.io Cybersecurity Solutions. Dr. Arun consults for numerous multinational companies, non-governmental and governmental agencies. He works with Rotary School for Special Needs Children, Coin A Day Childcare Foundation, and the Greenvalley International School. He has authored two books The Startup Habit and The 7Cs of Entrepreneurship.
Dr. Vinod works with the Government of Kerala as the Chairman of Local Government Commission. In the last few years, he has been actively engaged in the capacity building of local level leadership and in designing systems and strategies in the area of Local Governance in India. He holds PhD in Anthropology with a fellowship from the University of Zurich. Dr. Vinod has worked extensively in various research and academic organizations including South Asian University, Indira Gandhi National Open University, Institute for Human Development, Delhi, Centre for Development Studies and International School of Dravidian Linguistics, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. Trans-disciplinary and interdisciplinary approaches to knowledge and its social uses are his core area of interest.
Paul Walsh came to the University System of Maryland after 12 years at the University of Baltimore where he served as Associate Vice President and Director of the Office for Academic Innovation. He now works as the Kirwan Center’s Program Director for USMx, a system wide effort to expand access to affordable, high-quality educational opportunities through at-scale and innovative online courses and programs. Paul collaborates with system institutions to instill a culture of collaboration, develop market- and mission-driven courses, and conduct groundbreaking research. Paul has led USM’s efforts in the development of numerous MicroMasters(R) and Professional Certificate programs on the edX platform. He has developed and taught online courses of all types, written policy and strategic plans for online growth, led institutional committees through LMS platform searches and implementations, and established an e-Learning Center and a Center for Excellence in Learning, Teaching and Technology.
Dr. Mary Walshok is a thought leader and subject-matter expert on aligning workforce development with regional economic growth. She has authored more than 100 articles, reports, and book chapters on regional innovation, workforce development and the role of research institutions in regional economies. As an industrial social scientist focused on the dynamics of regional economic development and transformation, Walshok has studied various communities across America. She has evaluated 13 WIRED regions funded by the U.S. Department of Labor, studied three innovative regions for a National Science Foundation-funded project and assessed one region’s efforts to grow an industry for a Lilly Foundation-funded endeavor. As head of the continuing education and public programs arm of UC San Diego since 1981, Walshok oversees programs that educate more than 100,000 enrollees annually, which translates to more than 30,000 students in over 4,400 courses. Walshok has developed outreach efforts to help accelerate the San Diego region’s economic vitality, grow the region’s globally competitive talent pool and help college graduates transition to high-demand employment areas. She also helps provide access to a vast array of regional intellectual resources through the award-winning UCSD-TV and nationwide through UCTV. During her tenure, Walshok has played an active role in helping the University expand its local impact, national reputation and global reach. She is the recipient of numerous awards including the Kellogg Foundation’s Leadership Fellowship and was inducted into Sweden’s Royal Order of the Polar Star. She currently serves on the boards of San Diego CONNECT (which she helped found in 1985), the La Jolla Playhouse, the United States-Mexico Foundation for Science, the Institute of the Americas, the San Diego Opera and the Girard Foundation. A native of Palm Springs, California, she received her bachelor’s degree in sociology from Pomona College in 1964, her master’s degree in sociology in 1966 and her Ph.D. in sociology in 1969 from Indiana University. She has been a visiting professor at the Stockholm School of Economics for many years and in 2004 held an international appointment in the department of continuing education at Oxford University in England.
Ulrike Wild is Programme Director of Educational Innovation at Wageningen University & Research. She has a very diverse career: being a trained classical musician and psychologist she worked as freelance musician and music teacher, trainer, consultant and business developer for occupational psychology; before turning to digital innovation in Higher Education. At Wageningen University and Research, she is responsible for the development of the open and online program, consisting of MOOCs, online degree programs and online courses for professionals. She also leads a national program for flexibilization of Higher Education. This program comprises for instance a pilot project for a new national administration fostering student mobility and introducing microcredentials in the national system.