D2L Rise Summit – Chicago

Speakers

• 

  Dr. Marie Cini
  Provost and Chief Academic Officer, University of the People

  Dr. Marie Cini was named Provost and Chief Academic Officer of University of the People in 2022. An accomplished senior leader in higher education and nonprofit associations, her career spans more than 25 years in organizations serving working learners. 

  Most recently, Dr. Cini was Acting President of ED2WORK, a service firm focused on helping higher education institutions create new models for serving today’s learners. Prior to this, she served as president of the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL). She has also served on the board of the Online Learning Consortium (OLC) where she was chair of the board for two years. 

  Previously, Dr. Cini served as Provost and Senior Vice President at the University of Maryland University College (now University of Maryland Global Campus). She also has led programs for adults at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh and held increasingly responsible positions at Thomas Edison State College in Trenton, New Jersey, and at City University of Seattle in Washington. 

  A strong advocate for broad access to higher education, Dr. Cini is committed to expanding the view of postsecondary education to a true lifelong model for learners of all ages. She believes that a robust 21st-century economy and the health and well-being of the planet depend on the ability of all individuals to learn across a longer lifespan. 

  Dr. Cini earned her Ph.D. and master’s degrees in social psychology from the University of Pittsburgh, and a master’s degree in counselor education from the Pennsylvania State University. She was inducted into the International Adult Continuing Education Hall of Fame in 2016. She has published and presented widely on topics related to online education, nontraditional learners, and the future of higher education. 

• 

  Dr. Christina Neider
  Dean, College of Social and Behavioral Sciences at University of Phoenix

  Dr. Neider’s career spans over 25 years in academia, health care, and the United States Air Force. During her 18 years at University of Phoenix she has held several academic leadership roles and is currently the Dean of the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences to lead the program offerings in the social and behavioral sciences industries. Her other leadership roles include the associate dean of undergraduate studies in the College of Health Professions, the Dean of Assessment, and the Assistant Dean of curriculum. Among her contributions to the University, she led the process to have the Bachelor of Science in Health Administration program recognized as meeting the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society’s (HIMSS) rigorous standards for quality health IT or healthcare education, resulting in the University being named an Approved Education Partner.

  Prior to joining the University, Chris spent over 11 years in leadership roles in the United States Air Force. Her roles included being the non-commissioned officer in-charge of instruction by managing training resources, classrooms, laboratories, and equipment. In addition, she led teams to support aviation assets during peace and wartime missions by providing data to Army and Air Force pilots to ensure safety of all military personnel and resources. 

  Dr. Neider holds a Doctor of Education in Higher Education Leadership from Northcentral University and holds graduate degrees in education (MAEd) and psychology (MSP) from University of Phoenix. She is currently a board member for the Arizona chapter of Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS). 

• 

  Andrew Shean
  Chief Learning Officer, Penn Foster

  As Chief Learning Officer at Penn Foster, Dr. Andrew Shean leads academic program leadership, curriculum and courseware, academic support, faculty, non-academic support, and academic operations in pursuit of improving students’ lives. Prior to joining Penn Foster, Dr. Shean was the Senior Vice President & Chief Academic Officer at National Education Partners. He has also served in roles such as the Chief Academic Learning Officer for Bridgepoint Education, Vice Provost for Ashford University, and Executive Dean for the College of Education at Ashford University. He previously served as a high school English teacher where he was named the 2009 District Teacher of the Year. 

• 

  Kiara Williams
  Founding Program Manager of Accelerator, CCNY, Braven

  Kiara Williams has been a strong leader and passionate voice in student-centered spaces for as long as she can remember. In April of 2017, her life forever changed when she was selected to be the top scholar for the prestigious Goizueta Endowment Award, granting her a full ride to Georgia State University and adventures to last a lifetime. Kiara received her degree in Human Learning and Development with focuses on Family & Community Advocacy, Psychology, and supporting multilingual populations. She has served as a teacher, mentor, scholar, world adventurer, university ambassador, student fellow, and is now taking on new adventures in the nonprofit field. Kiara’s most recent career move took her back to the “Big Apple” to join Braven and The City College of New York as their Founding Program Manager of Accelerator– an experiential leadership and career course that inspires, develops, and supports underrepresented college students as they work towards securing strong first jobs and living their legacies. Prior to Braven, Kiara entered the tech space with her role at Apple. During this journey, she was able to serve as a student liaison for the Inclusion & [email protected] team, work hands on with Apple’s Diversity Network Associations, and connect with company leaders during her experience as an AppleCare team manager, all while supporting the larger population of Apple product users in her core position as an iOS Support Advisor.  

  Kiara immersed herself in the education, equity, and online learning field when she was chosen to be a Fellow for Every Learner Everywhere’s 2021 Inaugural Student cohort. This work allowed her to share her unique identity and experiences with an extensive network of higher education leaders, researchers, and major stakeholders in the student journey. In her continued collaboration with Every Learner Everywhere and WICHE, she has supported network recruitment, content management, and most importantly, the network’s student-centered endeavors. Kiara strives to ensure that student voices do not go unheard when and where it matters the most. She has a passion for education, impact, and growth, and believes that if she can share her light with at least one individual, then it will all be worth it. Above all, Kiara is an avid life-liver, joy-seeker, and music enthusiast. 

• 

  Craig L. Engstrom
  Director, Center for Teaching Excellence

  Craig leads the unit responsible for instructional development and educational technology at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. He is also the coordinator and curriculum advisor of the first-year experience course. In other roles at SIU, including associate professor of business communication and former Director of Undergraduate Programs for the School of Communication Studies, he has built and deployed hundreds of courses in D2L/Brightspace. These courses have elevated faculty’s interest in online or HyFlex teaching, increased student engagement and learning outcomes, boosted enrollments, and increased faculty retention.

  Craig is passionate about universal design for accessibility, instructional immediacy and affective communication, problem-posing pedagogy, and competency-based education. He shares these passions by offering monthly workshops to help faculty scaffold content and build engaging courses in D2L. He also brings these passions into his classroom, teaching, and research endeavors. As a result, he has earned several teaching/training awards, including two from the National Communication Association. He has numerous books, book chapters, peer-reviewed articles, and (inter)national presentations on various business communication topics.

  Craig has over 20 years of experience teaching competency-based courses in online, hybrid, and face-to-face modalities. He has a Ph.D. in business communication and persuasion, a master’s degree in intercultural communication, and a bachelor’s degree in human resources management. He is a Certified Professional in Talent Development (CPTD) and a Certified Microsoft Innovative Educator Trainer. He completed the Master Online Leader and Administrator program at the University of Illinois-Springfield.

• 

  Dede Gish-Panjada, MBA
  Chief Operating Officer at Bostrom

  Dede brings 30+ years of association executive experience leading complex non-profit organizations at the national and international level. At Bostrom, Dede works with account executives and clients helping to form a cohesive partnership. She leads training sessions on leadership development, nonprofit business best practices, association trends and future planning.  Dede loves challenges and enjoys helping staff, volunteer leaders and organizations develop and achieve things they never thought possible.

  Prior to joining Bostrom, Dede led the association management division of an association management company (AMC) and a team of 35 staff. She has received her Master’s in Business Administration from the University of Kansas with a concentration in organizational change and development and strategic planning. Dede earned her bachelor’s degree in Social Work from Avila University in Kansas City, MO. Dede is a member of the American Society of Association Executives, Association Forum of Chicagoland, the Kansas City Society of Association Executives (KCSAE), and Past Chair of the AMC Institute Board of Directors, the national trade association and accrediting body for association management companies (AMC).

• 

  Artesha Moore
  FASAE, CAE, President & CEO at Association Forum

  Artesha Moore, FASAE, CAE is the President and CEO of Association Forum. Association Forum is the “association of associations” in Chicago, IL. Founded in 1916, it has nearly 3,000 members. These members represent more than 44,000 association professionals from nearly 1,600 Chicago associations. These organizations serve 27 million individual members, have 9 million donors, and generate $10.3 billion annually in economic impact. Artesha brings more than 20 years of association management experience to Association Forum. Throughout her career, she has helped associations set and exceed aggressive membership and volunteer engagement goals while integrating new technology solutions and strategies. She has honed her leadership skills with organizations representing a variety of industries including healthcare, engineering, and scientific research institutions. Artesha works tirelessly to create lasting structures that help identify volunteers and staff whose voices and ideas were not being heard and providing them with opportunities to lead. She has a knack for fixing uncommon problems by addressing them from the inside out while empowering everyone around her.

  Artesha holds a Bachelor of Business Administration and Management degree from the University of Maryland. She is an active contributor within the broader association community. A member of the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE) since 2001, she is a Certified Association Executive (CAE) and was inducted into ASAE’s Diversity Executive Leadership Program (DELP) in 2010. Named one of Association Trends magazine’s 2012 Young and Aspiring Association Professionals, she was recently selected as one of the 2021 ASAE class of Fellows. Recently, she served as a member of ASAE’s Foresight Works Advisory Group. She also served as faculty for US Chamber of Commerce Institute for Organization Management where she developed a course to teach the new DEI curriculum. More importantly, she spends time mentoring the next generation of leaders by pushing them to find their own solutions to both the expected, and the unexpected, challenges they may face.  

• 

  Dr. Jill Buban
  General Manager & Vice President, EdAssist Solutions, Bright Horizons

  Dr. Jill Buban is a true innovator, education trailblazer, and thought leader with extensive experience in how to best reach, educate, and support adult learners. She is a driving force for the Bright Horizons EdAssist business, service, and partner and product strategy.

  In her current role with EdAssist Solutions, Dr. Buban engages with senior learning and human resources executives from companies across the country to fully understand their needs and challenges around attracting, educating, and promoting their workforces. Her gained knowledge allows her to continue to evolve the Bright Horizons EdAssist offerings and education partnerships to clients.  

  Prior to joining Bright Horizons, Jill served as Vice President of Digital Strategy and Online Education at Fairfield University, where she developed and managed the online, hybrid, and blended online learning offerings. She helped the university bring to market 21 fully online programs in less than a year. Dr. Buban also continued her role as a nationally recognized thought leader in education innovation, education for adult learners, and education workforce trends. She also contributes to multiple initiatives with the Online Learning Consortium and consistently engages in opportunities to mentor young women entering the space.  

  Dr. Buban was also the Chief Academic Officer at Unizin Consortium, a non-profit membership organization focused on improving student success for adult learners. There, she worked with 13 postsecondary education institutions in the United States, including Pennsylvania State University, Ohio State University and Rutgers University. She has also held additional roles in higher education, including Senior Director of Research and Innovation at the Online Learning Consortium, Assistant Provost at Post University, and Assistant to the Provost at SUNY Empire State College. She is a frequent speaker at conferences and industry events on adult learning and workforce education. 

• 

  Kevin Novak
  CEO and Chief Strategist at 2040 Digital

  Novak has honed his expertise in working with and across societies, associations, media companies and publishers over the past 8 years, as the CEO and Founder of 2040 Digital, specifically in leading and structuring digital transformation, marketing, communications, data and technology strategy, master data management and digital and physical education learning outcomes and content geared towards improving the customer experience and relationship.

  Novak is the former Vice President of New Business Development, Strategic Partnerships and Digital Strategies for the American Institute of Architects, The former Chief Digital Officer and Director of Education Outreach at the U.S. Library of Congress and the former Director of Electronic Government for Montgomery County, Maryland.

  Novak served as the 2018-2021 Board Chairman for the Business Information Association (BIA-Connectiv) representing B2B and B2C publishers and event and media companies, Board Member for the Software Information Industry Association (SIIA), Board Member for the Business Press Education Foundation (BPEF) and the Board Member of the Specialty Information Publisher’s Association (SIPA).

  He served as the Co-Chair of the W3C Open Data and the W3C Open Government Committees and served as an industry data expert for the Obama Administration Open Government Data Initiatives working across US Government Executive Department Agencies.

  Novak had the privilege to serve as a Chair of a distinguished Expert Panel for the National Academies producing a data strategy for the dissemination and use of data and data products for the National Science Foundation (NSF).

  Novak earned a Master of Business Administration degree (MBA) and a Master of Science in Technology Management degree (MSTM) from the University of Maryland where he is currently an Adjunct Professor teaching Digital Society and marketing courses. He also earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Social Sciences from the University of Pittsburgh.

  He will soon become a published author in 2022 with his first book: The Truth about Transformation.

• 

  Dr. Cristi Ford
  Vice President of Academic Affairs at D2L

  Dr. Cristi Ford serves as the Vice President of Academic Affairs at D2L. She brings more than 20 years of cumulative experience in higher education, secondary education, project management, program evaluation, training and student services to her role. In this role, she offers thought leadership and direction to the academic affairs unit of the organization. Her previous roles have allowed her to have impact in education from secondary and higher education settings within North America and as part of the international landscape. Her reach has allowed her to focus on building online education in the US and in Africa. 

  In addition to her experience building new online learning programs and research related to online teaching and learning, Dr. Ford possesses significant experience in the design and delivery of integrated educational support, training and transition services for young adults and children with neurodevelopment disabilities. 

  Dr. Ford was selected by the Online Learning Consortium as the 2022 OLC Fellow (the highest professional distinction offered by the association). She is a tireless advocate for quality online education and has leveraged her passion and expertise in many realms in the education space. She is known for utilizing her leadership in extraordinary ways to help institutions build capacity to launch and expand online programming through effective faculty development, instructional design and pedagogical practices. 

  Dr. Ford holds a PhD in Educational Leadership from the University of Missouri-Columbia and undergraduate and graduate degrees in the field of Psychology from Hampton University and University of Baltimore, respectively. 

• 

  Ben Campbell
  VP of Solution Engineering at D2L

  Ben Campbell has been a D2Ler for nearly 10 years, and previously spent nearly 10 years in online learning roles at the University of Florida and UC Berkeley. He oversees a team of EdTech product experts focused on amplifying the voice of the customer in D2L decisions. Ben holds a Master’s in Educational Technology and has worked as an Instructional Designer, Product Manager, and Online Program Manager before joining D2L. 

• 

  Ken Chapman
  VP of Learning Innovation Advocacy at D2L

  Kenneth is responsible for D2L’s advisory board program, which involves working with top executives, administrators, and educational leaders across the company’s customer base. He is also responsible for analyst and thought leader relations, acting as an advisor to D2L’s senior executives and product leadership group on behalf of the institutions D2L serves. 

  Deeply passionate about the connection between technology and learning, Kenneth strives to identify how the changing edtech landscape can help educators transform student outcomes. He joined the original D2L team back in 2003, and has since played a major role in shaping customer support, product management, product design, and market strategy. 

  Kenneth graduated with distinction from the University of Guelph, holding an Honours Co-op Bachelors in Mathematics & Statistics and Computer Science. He has also subsequently achieved certifications in both product management and project management disciplines.