Elizabeth Braatz, 2024-2025

Student / Graduate Research Assistant, Portland State University (Oregon, USA)

Elizabeth Braatz is a second-year graduate student at Portland State University. She holds a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Criminal Justice from Western Oregon University, which she received in June 2022. This June 2024, she will be graduating with her Master of Public Policy with a specialization in advocacy and leadership. Elizabeth began her journey in open education when she was a senior at Western Oregon University and has continued her involvement in open education since then. She was a keynote speaker at the Regional Leaders of Open Education (RLOE) Conference in 2022, testified at the Oregon State Legislature on open education policies, and serves on various advisory boards working to advance the principles, pillars, and frameworks of open education at the local, state (Oregon), and federal levels.

In 2022, Elizabeth was awarded the Klush Tum Tum ("A heart for the people") award for her persistent advocacy and personal initiatives championing open education. She not only received a trophy but also $5,000 for her work on her personal initiative on textbook affordability. After completing her Master's degree this spring, Elizabeth plans to continue her work in open education.

Tonja Conerly, 2022-2024

Professor of Sociology, San Jacinto College (Texas, USA)

Tonja R. Conerly, full-time Sociology Professor at San Jacinto College.   She has exhibited her leadership talents as being a “trailblazer of diversity and equity” both inside and outside academia.  Inside the College she facilitates and develops DEI workshops for faculty, staff, and students.  In promoting equity, she was the former Achieving The Dream– OER Grant Director at SJC, where she lead the efforts in saving SJC students over $3 million in textbook cost.

Outside of the College, she is the  founder of Houston Area OER Consortium (HAOER) which consist of a representative of every higher education institution  in Houston and their goal is to make textbook cost affordable for students by using Open Education Resources (OER);  elected to the Board of Directors for OpenEd Conference;  appointed as Co-VP of Equity, Diversity and Inclusivity for Community College Consortiums for Open Educational Resources (CCOER); and in 2010, she piloted the OpenStax Introduction to Sociology – 1st edition and in 2022, she is the contributing Senior Author to Introduction To Sociology – 3rd Edition. 

April Crenshaw, 2024 - 2025

Associate Professor, Chattanooga State Community College; Founder and Principal Consultant, Academic Advantage Consulting, LLC (Tennessee, USA)

April Crenshaw is an Associate Professor of Mathematics with 19 years of combined teaching experience in higher education and K-12. She is an award-winning educator, having twice received national recognition for her innovative and inclusive teaching methods. She is passionate about making education accessible to all by incorporating principles of equity into her courses and advocating for policies that remove barriers for historically marginalized groups.

Outside the classroom, April is an active researcher who contributes to her field through conference presentations, webinars, and professional learning workshops. She has given more than a dozen presentations at national conferences on topics related to effective pedagogy, belonging, academic help-seeking, and open educational resources. She also facilitates professional development courses for educators interested in cultivating more inclusive classrooms and fostering a culture of belonging in the workplace.

April is a doctoral candidate in the Leadership and Learning in Organizations (LLO) Program at Vanderbilt University. There, she is deepening her expertise in learning design, assessment, analysis, and project management as she prepares to transition into the next phase of her career.

Martonia Gaskill, 2023-2024

Associate Professor of Education, University of Nebraska Kearney (Nebraska, USA)

Martonia Gaskill is an Associate Professor of Education at the University of Nebraska Kearney where she teaches graduate level online courses and face to face undergraduate classes in the department of Teacher Education. She currently serves as the Graduate Program Chair and advisor for the Learning Design and Technology Master Program, Digital Pedagogy Expert for UNK Online and Academic Diversity Officer for the Office of Graduate Studies and Academic Outreach. Her research interests include open education resources, collaboration in online environments, teacher education preparation, technology integration, faculty development and learning design. 

Rachel Meisner, 2022-2025

Learning Resources Coordinator, Colorado Community College System (Colorado, USA)

Rachel is the Learning Resources Coordinator and a History Instructor for the Colorado Community College System. She was previously a Course Designer and the Open Educational Resources Coordinator for Pikes Peak Community College in Colorado Springs, Colorado. She holds a Master of Arts in History and a Master of Arts in Education specializing in Curriculum and Instruction, and is currently completing coursework for her Ph.D. in Education, specializing in Learning, Instruction, and Innovation. Before becoming a Course Designer and Open Educational Resources (OER) Coordinator in higher education, Rachel was an elementary school Library Technology Educator. She is passionate about equity in higher education, college affordability, technology integration in higher education, innovative curriculum, innovation diffusion, and open pedagogy.

Simon Omondi, 2023-2024

Researcher, Tangaza University College (Nairobi, Kenya)

Simon is a Doctorate Candidate in Social Transformation specializing in Education Governance, in higher education in Kenya. In this regard, he is a passionate researcher with 12 years of experience and part-time lecturer at The Catholic University of Eastern Africa, and Africa International University. Simon sits on the Technical Training And Vocational Board on a three year term on appointment by the Minister of Education, Government of Kenya. He is an advocate for open educational and publishing resources with a focus on leaving no one behind and contributing to the improvement of Open Distance Learning framework. Simon’s academic work focuses on the contribution of Artificial Intelligence in attaining inclusive education in Higher Learning Institutions in Kenya. Simon holds a Masters Degree in Development Studies, a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Social Sciences, and a Post Graduate Degree in Systems Analysis Design and Management. He has undertaken various professional training with UNESCO, participated in high level Education Conferences and facilitated workshops that advance our call to action towards poverty alleviation in developing countries.

Elita Partosoedarso, 2022-2024

Senior Teaching Professor, OntarioTech University (Ontario, Canada)

After getting her PhD in pharmacology and neurogastroenterology, Elita Partosoedarso worked in the area of drug discovery research. She started teaching in higher education 15 years ago almost on a whim and liked it so much that she went back to pursue a Master in Education. Elita has been recognized by Ontario Tech with an Excellence in Teaching Award in 2020. She currently uses an OpenStax textbook and has developed student resources to use with it and is looking forward to doing the same with another course that she teaches regularly. She has given numerous workshops promoting the developing of non-disposable assignments and creating student centric LMS pages.

Rosario Rogel-Salazar

Professor, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México (State of Mexico, Mexico)

Rosario Rogel, PhD, is a professor at the Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México (UAEMex) who has been active in promoting Open Access in scholarly publishing. Her work spans various fields including Sociology, Urban Studies, and Data Science, with a focus on Open Science and Education. In her international roles as a Visiting Professor in Ecuador and as a Figshare Ambassador for Latin America, she has supported researchers in developing their publication skills. Recognized by the UN's ÚNETE campaign for her involvement in Information and Communication Technologies, Rogel has also contributed to the establishment of scientific journals, aiming to enhance the presence of Latin American research. Currently, she is the Chair of the Ibero-American Research Network on Globalization and Territory (RII), encouraging collaborative and interdisciplinary research. Her participation in academic and digital humanities projects reflects her dedication to accessible and open research.

Judith Sebesta, 2023-2024

Principal, Sebesta Education Consulting LLC (Texas, USA)

Judith Sebesta, Ph.D., is an independent consultant supporting innovation and transformation in higher education and is the President of the Executive Council for the Community College Consortium for OER. Prior to these positions she was the founding VP of ISKME Labs, Executive Director of the Digital Higher Education Consortium of Texas, and served in a variety of roles at the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. Before shifting her career to the broader landscape of online and open education advocacy, policy, and practice, Judith enjoyed a fifteen year career as a professor and administrator of theatre at several universities across the U.S.

Tanya Spilovoy, 2025-2025

Institutional Partnership, OpenStax Rice University (North Dakota, USA)

Sarah Stokes, 2023-2024

Educational Developer and Supervisor, OE Lab, Ontario Tech University (Ontario, Canada)

Sarah is an educational developer at Ontario Tech University in Oshawa, Ontario, Canada, where she supports instructors and teaching assistants in the delivery of accessible and engaging learning opportunities through evidence-based practice. In this role, she also supervises the Open Education Lab, a student-run, staff-managed group responsible for bringing content and technological expertise to the timely creation of high-quality OER that will be used directly in an Ontario Tech course by Ontario Tech students. She holds a Masters of Educational Technology from the University of British Columbia and is completing her doctoral research with a focus OER and student co-creation at the University of North Dakota. Prior to her work in higher education, Sarah held roles in educational publishing, e-learning, and medical education.