Kim Scalzo, Interim Senior Associate Provost of DIAS
Kim Scalzo is the interim senior associate provost of Digital Innovation and Academic Services (DIAS), former executive director of SUNY Online and Interim Executive Director of Academic Technologies and Information Services (ATIS). For the five years preceding the launch of Open SUNY, Scalzo served as director for SUNY Center for Professional Development. Prior to joining SUNY, Kim was an administrator at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute where she started as the director of Professional and Distance Education Programs, and moved on to serve as the director of Distributed Education and Multimedia before a four year term as the director of Outreach Programs. @kimscalzoLinkedin
Dan Feinberg is the interim director of SUNY Online. He has spent 19 years at SUNY, including time at University at Albany, Schenectady Community College, and the last 13 years at SUNY System Administration. Dan’s job allows him to work with SUNY broad diversity of campuses and stellar higher ed professionals across the state. A lifelong educator, Dan began his career as a public school teacher and has been elected three times to the Scotia-Glenville Board of Education. Dan enjoys planning trips across the country as a part of his family’s continental conquest! LinkedInX
Susan Warner, Manager, Online Student Supports, SUNY Online
Susan Warner currently serves as the manager of online student supports at SUNY Online. In this role, Susan is deeply committed to fostering collaboration among SUNY faculty and staff to promote the best practices in online student support and empowering SUNY campuses with essential online student support resources. In her previous role as the Lead Success Coordinator for SUNY Online, Susan spearheaded the training and leadership of the SUNY Online Degrees at Scale student success coaching team, which provided success coaching to online students across seven SUNY campuses encompassing over twenty programs. Before her tenure at SUNY Online, Susan played a pivotal role in implementing Guided Pathways at Monroe Community College as an MCC School Specialist. Susan has a passion for an appreciative, strengths-based approach to proactive student success coaching and a strong commitment to providing equitable, accessible support to all students. Beyond her professional pursuits, Susan finds joy in coffee gatherings with friends, cheering on the Buffalo Bills, and spending time with her grandchildren.
Erin Maney, SUNY Online Communications & Community Engagement Manager
Erin Maneyis the SUNY Online Communications & Community Engagement manager. She was previously an Open SUNY senior instructional designer, and prior to that came to the team from Monroe Community College where she served as an instructional designer. She has worked for community colleges and universities in Wisconsin and Florida before returning to upstate NY. Erin was formerly an English teacher for K-12 districts and continues to teach developmental writing courses and college orientation seminar as an adjunct instructor. After leaving the traditional classroom, she served in many roles supporting educators in K-12, at-risk youth facilities, technical and career high schools, community colleges, and universities. Much of her experience is focused on developing and facilitating training programs, finding new and engaging ways to communicate content, and developing meaningful learning opportunities for both faculty and students. @expertlymadeLinkedIn
Kelly Herman, Vice President, Accessibility, Equity & Inclusion, University of Phoenix
Kelly Hermann, is the Vice President, Accessibility, Equity & Inclusion at the University of Phoenix. She has oversight of the university’s accessibility initiative, including the evaluation and remediation of curricular resources, the Accessibility & Disability Services office, which provides accommodations to students with disabilities and the Office of Educational Equity, which works with University stakeholders, community partners and corporate sponsors to create an inclusive educational environment for the students, faculty and staff. Hermann holds a master of science in education and bachelor of science in Communication Sciences and Disorders from The College of Saint Rose. In 2009, Ms. Hermann was appointed to the Instructional Materials Advisory Council in New York by then Governor David Patterson and has been active in the Online Learning Consortium, WCET, and the Association on Higher Education and Disability (AHEAD), chairing the special interest group on online and distance education and the standing committee on public policy from 2009 to 2013. She also chairs the Accessibility Innovation Learning Network and the Accessibility Taskforce for 1EDTech and was awarded the IMS Global award for Higher Ed Leadership in 2020. Ms. Hermann has also served on the board of the National Diversity Council, on the Accessibility Advisory Board for McGraw-Hill in 2019 and was a data fellow with Anthology’s Education and Research Center from 2021 through 2023. @kellyhermann4
Megan Kohler, Learning Designer & Lecturer John A. Dutton e-Education Institute, Penn State
Megan Kohler serves as an Assistant Teaching Professor and Learning Designer with the Dutton Institute for Teaching and Learning Excellence supporting The Pennsylvania State University College of Earth Minerals and Sciences. She has been recognized for her innovative teaching practices with the 2021 Marion G. Mitchell Award for Innovative Teaching. Megan has held key leadership roles with the Online Learning Consortium’s Accelerate Conference and has contributed to EDUCAUSE’s Courseware Advisory Board, an initiative supported by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Megan’s research, funded by a Schreyer Institute Scholarship, focuses on supporting neurodivergent learners in higher education. As a 2024 Teach Access Fellow, she continues to advocate for accessible learning experiences for all students. Her work, including her book The Multidisciplinary Instructional Designer, has been featured in several podcasts and conferences, highlighting her expertise in both online education and neurodiversity. In addition, Ms. Kohler is the founder and lead consultant of Megan Kohler Consulting. Her services include keynote speaking, workshops, and courses on neurodiversity. She has established a set of Neuroinclusive Instructional Design Standards to help educators and trainers create learning experiences that are supportive of neurodivergent learners. Additionally, she provides instructional design services to a wide range of clients, including both corporate and higher education sectors. @mkohler26LinkedinInstagram
Dr. Michele Forte, Associate Professor/Mentor in Community & Human Services, ESU
Dr. Michele Forteis an associate professor at SUNY SUNY Empire State University (ESU) and a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in New York State. She has extensive experience in mentoring and coaching diverse organizational and student populations in various educational and not-for-profit settings. Dr. Forte is the former Project Manager for Student Supports initiatives for SUNY Online and a coach with the New York Student Success Center (NYSSC) Coaching Academy as well as for the SUNY REACH initiative. Her scholarly interests include competency-based frameworks for assessing learning, high-impact coaching and mentoring models, and connections between grief, loss, and resilience.LinkedinProfile
Michelle Singh, the inaugural Assistant Commissioner of the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board ‘s Division of Digital Learning. With a career spanning over two decades, Dr. Singh has established herself as a strategic visionary, expertly navigating the intersections of digital infusion, artificial intelligence, open education, and change management in higher education. Renowned for her ecosystem approach to digital transformation, Dr. Singh has garnered global recognition for her pioneering work as a transformative leader and advocate of open education. Her influence extends across numerous prestigious organizations. She has served as Chairperson of the Board for the Texas Distance Learning Association, held positions on the Board of Directors and Advisory Board for the United States Distance Learning Association, and was a founding member and Chair of the Texas A&M University System Council for Academic Technology and Innovative Education. Her leadership roles also include chairing the Learning Technology Advisory Committee for the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board and the South Texas Higher Education Regional Council. Her outstanding contributions to digital teaching and learning have been acknowledged through multiple accolades, including induction into the Texas Digital Learning Association Hall of Fame, the Texas Association of State Systems for Computing and Communications Trailblazer Honor, and the USDLA International Outstanding Leadership Award. Dr. Singh has also received the TxDLA Don Foshee Leadership Award, the TAMUCC College of Education and Human Development Alumni Achievement Distinction, and was named among Corpus Christi’s Top Under 40 in 2020.
Dr. Kathe Pelletier, Senior Director, Community Programs, EDUCAUSE
Dr. Kathe Pelletier has spent the last 25 years in higher education innovation of some form or another. Kathe’s entry point into higher ed was in an adult-serving institution that was fully online, and most of her work since then has been oriented around combining evidence-based practice with innovative delivery models and the strategic application of technology and data. She has held roles in many different areas including advising, curriculum and instructional design, competency based education, and academic support. Kathe is currently the senior director of community programs at EDUCAUSE, a non-profit membership organization that serves higher ed IT professionals in service of the greater good in higher education. Linkedin@kathepelle
Dr. Van L. Davis, Executive Director, WCET (WICHE) Cooperative for Educational Technologies) & VP Digital Learning for WICHE
Dr. Van L. Davis serves as the executive director of WCET (WICHE Cooperative for Educational Technologies) and vice president of digital learning for WICHE (Western Interstate Commission on Higher Education). Before joining WCET, he served as founder and principal at Foghlam Consulting, working with colleges, universities, and nonprofits on digital learning, strategic planning, higher education policy, and research. Previously, Van served as Associate Vice President for Policy and Research at Blackboard (now Anthology) and Director of Innovations at the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. Van began his career as a professor and academic administrator and has over 25 years of experience in higher education. He holds a Ph.D. and M.A. in 20th Century United States History with an emphasis in civil rights from Vanderbilt University. Van has devoted his career to improving educational access and affordability for students and has led numerous projects such as the development of Texas’ adult degree completion initiative (GradTX), Texas’ statewide course redesign project which leveraged adaptive courseware, and the development of the first competency-based baccalaureate degrees at Texas public institutions. He currently focuses on artificial intelligence and federal distance education regulations and their impact on student access and equity. Linkedin
Cheryl Dowd serves as the senior director for the State Authorization Network and WCET Policy Innovations, and Cyber Fellow for WICHE. Dowd directs the activities and research to manage State and Federal regulatory compliance requirements for the out of state activities of the member institutions. Additionally, she serves the overall WCET membership in addressing emerging and special regulatory issues related to digital learning in postsecondary education. Dowd is a contributing author for a guidebook for understanding the legal basis for State and Federal compliance for activities of post-secondary institutions, State Authorization of Colleges and Universities. Dowd earned her JD from the University of Richmond, MS in Criminal Justice from Bowling Green State University, and BS in Political Science from James Madison University. LinkedIn, X
