Speakers-2024
Opening Remarks – Special Guest SUNY Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs and Provost Dr. Melur “Ram” Ramasubramanian
Track: Plenary, Online Admin/Leadership, Online Student Support, Online Instructional Designers, Online Faculty
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. @kimscalzo Linkedin
Presentation:DIAS Update
Track: Plenary, Online Admin/Leadership, Online Student Support, Online Instructional Designers, Online Faculty
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! LinkedIn X
Presentation: SUNY Online Update
Track: Plenary, Online Admin/Leadership, Online Student Support, Online Instructional Designers, Online Faculty
Erin Maney is 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. @expertlymade LinkedIn
Moderator: Erin Maney, SUNY Online Communications & Community Engagement Manager.
Recognition: SUNY Effective Online Practices Recognition and Showcase Panel
Track: Plenary, Online Admin/Leadership, Online Student Support, Online Instructional Designers, Online Faculty
Moderator: Erin Maney, SUNY Online Communications & Community Engagement Manager with Alexandra M. Pickett, Director, Online Teaching, SUNY Online.
Recognition: SUNY Online Teaching Ambassadors
Track: Plenary, Online Admin/Leadership, Online Student Support, Online Instructional Designers, Online Faculty
Harry Cargile, is the director of academic technology strategy and integration and is currently serving as a co-lead for the SUNY Digital Learning Environment project. He has been a part of SUNY since 1999 working with academic technology and most specifically learning management systems.
Presentation: SUNY Digital Learning Environment Update
Tracks: Online Student Support, Online Admin/Leadership, Online Instructional Designer, Online Faculty
Panel Moderator: Kim Scalzo
Panel: NYS Investments: Digital Transformation and Student Success
Digital Transformation
Brian Digman, SUNY CIO
Student Success
Donna Linderman (Senior Vice Chancellor for Student Success)
Valerie Dent (Associate Vice Chancellor and Chief Deputy for Student Success)
Dr. Sean Nufer, senior director of teaching and learning at The Community Solution Education System (TCS) and a Senior Adjunct Professor at The Chicago School of Professional Psychology. He was the 2021 Canvas Educator of the Year and recipient of the Online Learning Consortium 2020 Excellence and Innovation in Online Teaching Award and the OLC 2021 Effective Practice Award. LinkedIn Blog Twitter (X)
Dr. Veronica Estrada is a core faculty at Pacific Oaks College and an adjunct professor at Pasadena City College. She was the recipient of the OLC 2021 Effective Practice Award. Dr. Estrada is also an emotional intelligence (EQ) expert and consultant, who helps individuals and teams enhance their EQ skills, enabling them to navigate challenges and foster positive working environments. Dr. Estrada focuses on navigating the delicate balance between technological advancement (AI) and human emotional intelligence (EQ), fostering a harmonious integration that preserves the essence of human experience amidst a rapidly digitizing world. LinkedIn
Workshop:Innovative Online Course Design Using AI – A Hands-On Approach
Summit Networking: – Summit Socials
Discussion Facilitators:
John Zelenak, Operations Manager, SUNY Online. @JohnZelenak
Rob Piorkowski, Assistant Director of Online Teaching, SUNY Online. @rob_piorkowskiLinkedin
Alexandra M. Pickett, Director of Online Teaching, SUNY Online. @alexpickett @AlejandraPickett@mas.to
Erin Maney, SUNY Online Communications & Community Engagement Manager. @expertlymade@ExpertlyMade@mindly.socialSession:Social Networking Activities
Tracks:Plenary, Online Instructional Designers, Online Faculty, Online Student Support, Online Admin/Leadership – all are welcome!
Panel: Artificial Intelligence: SUNY FACT2 Task Group Report
FACT2 AI Task Group
Jeffrey Riman, SUNY Fashion Institute of Technology & SUNY FACT2 Task Group Co-Chair
Billi Franchini, SUNY University at Albany & SUNY FACT2 Task Group Co-ChairSUNY AI Task Force
Atri Rudra is the Katherine Johnson Chair in Artificial Intelligence professor in the Department of Computer Science & Engineering at the SUNY University at Buffalo
Jason D’Cruz is an associate professor and director of undergraduate studies in the Philosophy Department at the University at AlbanyTracks: Online Student Support, Online Admin/Leadership, Online Instructional Designers, Online Faculty, Plenary
Susan Warner currently serves as the manager of online student support 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.
Dr. Michele Forte is 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. Linkedin Profile
Panel Presentation: Online Student Panel
Co-Moderators:
Susan Warner, Manager of Online Student Support at SUNY Online.
Dr. Michele Forte, Associate Professor & Mentor in Community and Human Services, SUNY Empire State University.
Tracks: Online Student Support, Online Admin/Leadership, Online Instructional Designers, Online Faculty, Plenary
Dr. Jacquelyne Thoni Howard is an administrative assistant professor of technology and women’s history at Newcomb Institute of Tulane University . She leveraged her liberal arts degrees to gain extensive experience in digital scholarship and instructional technology and specializes in Borderlands History, History of Gender and Technology, and Digital History. At Newcomb Institute, Jacquelyne directs initiatives and student programming related to digital humanities and instructional technology. Her teaching and research interests include examining topics about gender and race using interdisciplinary frameworks such as technology studies, digital humanities, empires and borderlands studies, family studies, and U.S. History. Using digital and quantitative methods with historical approaches, her current manuscript project examines the family experiences of African, Indian, European, and mixed-heritage women living in the Lower French Louisiana Borderlands from 1700-1766. She earned a Ph.D. in U.S. History from Fordham University, an M.A. in History from the University of San Diego, and a B.A. in History with a minor in secondary education from Loyola University New Orleans. Blog LinkedIn Twitter (X)
Dr. Liv Newman is administrative assistant professor and associate director of the Center for Engaged Learning and Teaching at Tulane University and adjunct faculty for Loyola University New Orleans. She received her Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of Florida and M.A. in Education Policy from Stanford University. Dr. Newman has worked in higher education for nearly 25 years spanning both teaching and administrative roles. She has extensive experience improving undergraduate and graduate, on-ground and online teaching, through her faculty development positions and numerous leadership roles. Her scholarly interests focus on the intersection of race and class, inequities in education, and enhancing the online educational experience for faculty and students. Blog
Presentation: Using Feminist Pedagogy to Design Learner-Centered Learning Experiences Online
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
Presentation: The Regulations and Guidance Lurking Around the Bend
Tracks: Online Admin/Leadership, Online Student Support, Online Instructional Designers, Online Faculty
Panel: Building Quality Online Bachelor’s Programs That Students Want: What the Data Say
Michelle Ohnona, Assistant Professor & Faculty Director, Georgetown, School of Continuing Studies Scott Jeffe VP Grad. & Online Research, RNL
Emily Wood, EdD, VP Instructional Design, RNL
