2021 Team

The 2021 Open Education Conference was held October 18-22, 2021, and organizing it took a village. More than 150 volunteers and committee members were involved in planning every aspect of the conference.

 

sTEERING COMMITTEE

The Steering Committee provides oversight and leadership for the conference, being responsible for goals, major decisions, and leadership of the planning teams.

  • Nicole Allen, Director of Open Education, SPARC

  • Akanksha Bhatnagar, Former President, University of Alberta Students’ Union

  • MJ Bishop, Associate Vice Chancellor and Director, Kirwan Center for Academic Innovation, University System of Maryland

  • David Draper, Vice President Academic, University of Alberta Students' Union, University of Alberta

  • Spencer Ellis, Director of Educational Innovation, Colorado Department of Higher Education

  • Regina Gong, Open Educational Resources (OER) & Student Success Librarian, Michigan State University

  • Lee Miller, Director of Innovation and Compliance, Barton Community College

  • Veronica Moreno, Director on the Standing Committee on Research Exchange, International Federation of Medical Students Association

  • Emily Ragan, Associate Professor, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Metropolitan State University of Denver

  • Tiffani Tijerina, Program Manager, Affordable Learning Georgia, University System of Georgia

  • Ethan Senack, Manager, Policy and Strategic Coordination, ISKME

  • Amy E. Harris Tan, Dean, English and Communications, Houston Community College

  • Wendy Vélez-Torres, Senior Instructional Technologist, Coppin State University

  • Daniel Williamson, Managing Director, OpenStax

  • Aishah Abdullah, Open Education Coordinator, SPARC (Support Team)

  • Hailey Babb, Open Education Project Manager, SPARC (Support Team)

  • Lese Fandel, Programs & Operations Specialist, SPARC (Support Team)

  • Winni Zhang, Open Education Project Manager, SPARC (Support Team)

Strategic planning committee

Alongside other teams focused on the 2021 conference, the Strategic Planning Committee focuses on building foundations for the process of establishing community ownership of the conference.

  • Hailey Babb (Conference Team), Open Education Coordinator, SPARC

  • Nadia Cheikhrouhou, Educator, Higher Institute of Technological Studies of Béja

  • Jeff Gallant, Program Director, Affordable Learning Georgia, University System of Georgia

  • Regina Gong (Steering Committee), Open Educational Resources (OER) & Student Success Librarian, Michigan State University

  • Sarah Hammershaimb, Teacher Librarian, Cherry Creek School District

  • Jonathan Lashley, Associate Chief Academic Officer, Idaho State Board of Education

  • Lee Miller (Steering Committee), Director of Innovation and Compliance, Barton Community College

  • Spencer Ellis (Steering Committee), Director of Educational Innovation, Colorado Department of Higher Education

  • Amanda Larson, Affordable Learning Instructional Consultant, The Ohio State University

  • Tiffany MacLennan, Student/Research Fellow, Carleton University/Maple League of Universities

  • Cynthia Mari Orozco, Librarian for Equitable Services, East Los Angeles College

  • Susan Payne, Education Specialist, Oregon Department of Education

  • Stephanie Pierce, Head of the Physics Library, University of Arkansas

  • Andrea Scott, Operations Associate, Faculty Development and Educational Initiatives, Salt Lake Community College

  • Ethan Senack (Steering Committee), Manager, Policy and Strategic Coordination, ISKME

  • Amy E. Harris Tan (Steering Committee), Dean, English and Communications, Houston Community College

#oPENeD21 Program Committee

The Program Committee is responsible for developing and managing the conference program, including how to organize tracks, session types, and the proposal review process.

  • Aishah Abdullah, Open Education Coordinator, SPARC

  • Kolawole Aramide, Lecturer, University of Ibadan

  • Robert Awkward, Assistant Commissioner for Academic Effectiveness, Mass. Department of Higher Education

  • Beatrice E. Canales, Academic Unit Assistant, San Antonio College

  • Moustapha Diack, Professor, Doctoral Program in Sciences/Math Education (SMED), College of Sciences & Engineering (CSE), Southern University in Baton Rouge (SUBR)

  • David Draper (Steering Committee), Vice President Academic, University of Alberta Students’ Union, University of Alberta

  • Lisa Haldeman, Library Director, Tulsa Community College

  • Stacy Katz, Open Resources Librarian, Lehman College, CUNY

  • Manisha Khetarpal, Librarian, Maskwacis Cultural College

  • Katie Klein, School Librarian, Rising Tide Charter Public School

  • Jonathan Poritz, Associate Professor of Math and Director of the Center for Teaching and Learning, Colorado State University Pueblo

  • Emily Ragan (Steering Committee), Associate Professor, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Metropolitan State University of Denver

  • Brenda Smith, Open Education Librarian, Thompson Rivers University

  • Amy E. Harris Tan (Steering Committee), Dean, English and Communications, Houston Community College

  • Wendy Vélez-Torres (Steering Committee), Senior Instructional Technologist, Coppin State University

  • Samantha Veneruso, Chair of General Studies, Professor of English, Montgomery College

  • Dylan Woodcock, Associate, Campus Manitoba

  • Winni Zhang (Conference Team), Open Education Project Manager, SPARC

#opened21 Comms committee

The Communications Committee supports development of the conference’s website, social media presence, public identity, and communications with attendees and members of the broader community.

  • Rachel Becker, Copyright & Open Educational Resources Librarian, Madison Area Technical College

  • Victoria Brame, Public Services Librarian, Houston Community College

  • Emily Carlisle-Johnston, Research and Scholarly Communications Librarian, University of Western Ontario

  • Casey McCoy-Simmons, PhD Student/Education Research and Policy Intern, University of Denver/Colorado Department of Higher Education

  • Mohammad Rida, Medical Student, University of Khartoum-Sudan

  • Kylah Torre, Program Director, Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board

  • Yang Wu, Open Resources Librarian, Clemson University

  • Winni Zhang (Conference Team), Open Education Project Manager, SPARC

#opened21 DEI committee

While diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) will be a core consideration for all planning groups, the DEI Committee coordinates efforts between teams and ensures that the conference as a whole centers narratives of accessibility and DEI.

  • Aishah Abdullah, Open Education Coordinator, SPARC

  • José Aguiñaga, Librarian, Glendale Community College

  • Brandon Carson, Learning Technology Specialist/Part-time Professor, Durham College

  • David Draper (Steering Committee), Vice President Academic, University of Alberta Students' Union, University of Alberta

  • Sarah Hutton, Head, Student Success and Engagement, University of Massachusetts Amherst

  • Amelia Lewis, Senior Lecturer, Kennesaw State University

  • Lee Miller (Steering Committee), Director of Innovation and Compliance, Barton Community College

  • Amy Minervini, Instructor of English, Lewis-Clark State College

  • Tina Mullins, OER and Research Librarian, Saginaw Valley State University

  • Nhu Nguyen, Professor, Metropolitan State University of Denver

  • Julia E. Rodriguez, Scholarly Communications Librarian and OER Lead, Oakland University

  • Isabel Soto-Luna, Visitng Professor of Library Services, Colorado State University Pueblo

  • Amy E. Harris Tan (Steering Committee), Dean, English and Communications, Houston Community College

  • Nidhi Thakur, Lecturer/Teach and advise, Kean University

#opened21 Engagement committee

The Engagement Committee works to build out an engaging virtual event including social programming, self care activities, and networking.

  • Osman Aldirdiri, Student, University of Khartoum

  • Adele Merritt Bernard, Librarian, The University of the West Indies, Open Campus

  • Nikki Cannon-Rech, Research Services Librarian, Georgia Southern University

  • Dustin Fife, Director of Library Services and Online Education, Western Colorado University

  • Lese Fandel, Program and Operations Specialist, SPARC

  • Michelle Goodridge, Social Sciences and Humanities Librarian, Wilfred Laurier University

  • Kim Hale, Academic Engagement Librarian, Columbia College Chicago

  • Peter Musser, Auxiliary Librarian, Burnaby Public Library

  • Lindsay Myers, Graduate Research/Teaching Assistant, Oklahoma State University

  • Christina Riehman-Murphy, Reference and Instruction Librarian, Penn State University

  • Raya Samet, Education, Health and Human Services Librarian, University of Michigan-Dearborn

  • Tineka Scalzo, Library Faculty, Co-Department Chair, Wright College/City Colleges of Chicago

  • Tiffani Tijerina, Program Manager, Affordable Learning Georgia, University System of Georgia

#opened21 SESSION HOSTS

During the conference, Session Hosts facilitated live and pre-recorded sessions, serving both as the technical operator of the Zoom session and moderator to ensure a safe and welcoming space.

  • Adele Merritt Bernard

  • Alishia Huntoon

  • Amelia Lewis

  • Amy Minervini

  • Amy Tan

  • Andrea Scott

  • Beatrice Canales

  • Bob Awkward

  • Brenda Smith

  • Christina Riehman-Murphy

  • Cindy Gruwell

  • Dawn (Nikki) Cannon-Rech

  • Deidre Tyler

  • Dustin Fife

  • Dylan Woodcock

  • Emily Carlisle-Johnston

  • Emily Ragan

  • Ethan Senack

  • Jeff Gallant

  • John Doherty

  • Jonathan Poritz

  • Julia Rodriguez

  • Katie Klein

  • Katie Miller

  • Kim Hale

  • Krista Higham

  • Lee Miller

  • Lindsay Josephs

  • Lisa Haldeman

  • Lisa Louis

  • Manisha Khetarpal

  • Michelle Beechey

  • Moustapha Diack

  • Nadia Cheikhrouhou

  • Peter Musser (he/him)

  • Rachel Becker

  • Regina Gong

  • Samantha Veneruso

  • Stacy Katz

  • Stephanie Robertson

  • Tiffani Tijerina

  • Tina Mullins

  • Tineka Scalzo

  • Victoria Brame

  • Wendy Torres

  • Yang Wu

#opened21 Proposal Reviewers

Between the Program Committee and proposal reviewers, more than 100 community members participated in the proposal review process.

  • Clément Aubert, Assistant Professor in Computer Science, Augusta University

  • Elizabeth Batte, Library Director and OER Coordinator, Nicholls State University

  • Michelle Beechey, Access Services and OER Librarian, SUNY Monroe Community College

  • steven bell, associate university librarian, temple university libraries

  • Adele Merritt Bernard, Librarian III, The University of the West Indies, Open Campus

  • Chealsye Bowley, Digital Scholarship Librarian, University of Wyoming

  • Nancy Bucher

  • Stefanie Buck, Director Open Educational Resources, Oregon State University

  • Dawn "Nikki" Cannon-Rech, Research Services Librarian, Georgia Southern University

  • Delores Carlito, Head of Reference, Department of Research and Learning, UAB Libraries, University of Alabama at Birmingham

  • Cristin Cash, Professor of Art History, Montgomery College, Takoma Park/Silver Spring

  • Bob Casper, Instructional Design Consultant, Boise State University

  • Bebe S. Chang, Archives & Digital Librarian, Nova Southeastern University

  • Vanessa Clark, Program Analyst, Oregon Department of Education

  • Virginia Clinton-Lisell, Assistant Professor, University of North Dakota

  • Alison Cole, Scholarly Communications & Outreach Librarian / OER Coordinator, Felician University

  • Skylar Davidson, Assistant Professor of Sociology, Chattanooga State Community College

  • Kelly Dermody, Academic Librarian, Ryerson University

  • Kathy L. DesRoches, EdD. Director, MS Leadership & Nonprofit Certificate Program, Granite State College

  • Melody Diehl Detar, Duquesne University

  • John J. Doherty, Head of Teaching, Learning, and Research Services, Cline Library, Northern Arizona University

  • Cindy Domaika, Manager of Open Educational Learning Strategies, Nicolet College

  • Brittany Dudek, Manager, OER and Library, Colorado Community College System

  • Sheri Edwards, Electronic Resources Librarian and OER Coordinator, Florida Atlantic University

  • Alex Enkerli, Technopedagogical Advisor, Support and Innovation in Digital Pedagogy, Collecto

  • Kathy Essmiller, Coordinator of Open Educational Resources, Oklahoma State University

  • Robin Ewing, Professor & Librarian, St. Cloud State University

  • Zoia Falevai, Instruction and Reference Librarian, Brigham Young University - Hawaii

  • Sarah E. Fancher, Library Director, Ozarks Technical Community College

  • Karen Ferreira-Meyers, Prof, Institute of Distance Education (University of Eswatini), Eswatini

  • Ann Fiddler, Open Education Librarian, City University of New York

  • Dustin Fife, Director of Library Services and Online Education, Western Colorado University

  • Florencia Gabriele, Lecturer, Emmanuel College

  • Rahul Sharad Gaikwad, PhD Scholar, MES's IMCC, Pune

  • Cathy Germano, Director of Learning Services, Excelsior College

  • Philip Attipoe Gorni was affiliated to EAD

  • Shanali Govender, Lecturer, Centre for Innovation in Learning and Teaching, University of Cape Town

  • Dr. Rebecca Graetz, Sr. Instructional Designer, Thomas More University

  • Brenna Clarke Gray, Coordinator, Educational Technologies, Thompson Rivers University

  • Cindy Gruwell, Asst. Librarian & Coordinator of Scholarly Communication

  • Marian Hampton, Open Education Librarian, University of Pittsburgh

  • Robert Alan Harris, Director, Center for Teaching with Technology. WPUNJ

  • Krista Higham, Access Services Librarian, Millersville University

  • Christina Hilburger, Research and Information Literacy Librarian, State University of New York at Fredonia

  • Doug Holton, Director of Teaching and Learning, Florida Polytechnic University

  • Alishia Huntoon, Professor and Program Director, Oregon Institute of Technology

  • D'Arcy Hutchings, Instructional Design Librarian, University of Alaska Anchorage

  • Leslie C. Johnson, Professor, Lansing Community College

  • Stephen Kenny, Student Activist, University of Maryland

  • Dr.Deepika Kohli, Assistant Professor, Khalsa College of Education Amritsar Punjab India

  • Nikita LaCour-Dukes,K-8 /STEM Teacher & Grad student, Southern University A&M College

  • Lori-Beth Larsen, Faculty, Central Lakes College

  • Alisa Lazear, Manager or Community and Content at the Canadian Legal Information Institute (CanLII)

  • Brianna Limas

  • Lisa Louis, Head, Research & Learning, Bell Library, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi

  • Howard C. Marks, Director, Library Resource Center, Midland College

  • Gracie McDonough, Instruction/Reference/OER Librarian, College of Southern Nevada

  • Bryan McGeary, Learning Design and Open Education Engagement Librarian, Pennsylvania State University

  • Katie Miller, Director, Aiken Technical College Library

  • Amy Minervini, Instructor of English, Lewis-Clark State College

  • Jamie Murphy, Associate Professor, State University of New York, Delhi

  • Peter Musser, Public Librarian, Burnaby Public Library

  • Jöran Muuß-Merholz, OERcamps and OER-Festival Germany

  • Lindsay Myers, Ph.D. Student, Oklahoma State University

  • Elizabeth Nelson, Reference and Instruction Librarian, Penn State University Libraries, Lehigh Valley Campus Library

  • Pauline Ngimwa, Professional Development and Training Programme Manager, PASGR

  • Arturo Ozuna, Doctoral Student, SMU

  • Sunyeen Pai, Digital Initiatives Librarian, Kapiolani Community College

  • Dr. Enoch Park, Online Learning Specialist, University of North Carolina at Charlotte

  • Jennifer L. Pate, Open Education Resources and Scholarly Communication Library, University of North Alabama

  • Joseph Patton, Assistant Librarian, University at Buffalo Libraries

  • Olga Perkovic, Open Education and Scholarship Librarian, McMaster University

  • Mojaesi Violet Phejane, Miss

  • Megan Phifer-Davis, Assistant Manager of Reference, St. Louis County Library

  • Michael Porter, Web Librarian, Lawson State Community College

  • Lauren Ray, Open Education Librarian, University of Washington Libraries

  • Julie Reed, E-Learning Librarian, Central Piedmont Community College

  • Christina Riehman-Murphy, Reference & Instruction Librarian, Penn State Abington

  • Stephanie Robertson, Adjunct Faculty, BYU—Hawaii

  • Alexander (Sasha) Rodriguez, Senior Research Librarian, UTD

  • Melody Lee Rood

  • Ronny Röwert, project coordinator digital.learning.lab, Hamburg University of Technology (TUHH)

  • Tineka Scalzo, Reference & Instruction Librarian, Wright College

  • Emily Schudel, Instructional Designer, Camosun College

  • Dr. Richard Sebastian, Director of Open and Digital Learning, Achieving the Dream

  • Dr Ramesh C Sharma, Ambedkar University Delhi, New Delhi

  • Nathan Smith, Philosophy Instructor and OER Coordinator, Houston Community College

  • Loretta Walker Spruel, Professor, Southern University and A & M College

  • Sarah Sweeney, Project Coordinator, COERLL at UT Austin

  • Elaine Thornton, Open Education & Distance Learning Librarian, University of Arkansas

  • Deidre Tyler, (Professor)Salt Lake Community College

  • Gabriel N Uunona, Coordinator: Learning Design, University of Namibia

  • Michael Whitchurch, OER & Media Literacy Librarian, Brigham Young University