Panel: Accelerated Online Learning: Insights from Faculty, Staff & Students
Panel: Accelerated Online Learning: Insights from Faculty, Staff & Students
Panel Moderators:
Dan Feinberg, Interim Director, SUNY Online.
Maureen Kinney, SUNY Online Campus Partnerships Project Manager
Track: Online Admin/Leadership
Panelists:
Danyelle O’Brien serves as the Director of Extended Learning, Innovation, and Teaching Excellence (ELITE) at Alfred State College of Technology. The Center for Extended Learning, Center for Online Learning, and Center for Innovation and Teaching Excellence (CITE) make up the teams serving primarily non-traditional learners, faculty professional development, and student support of online programs. Under her collaborative leadership, programming has expanded to include microcredentials, AI training and development, dedicated online student success coaching, and online program development. Serving as the current Chair for the Directors of Online and Distance Learning Environments (DOODLE), Danyelle supports collaboration, mentorship, and professional development related to distance learning across the SUNY system.
Jeremy Howard (he/him) is the Online Academic Advisor within the Center for Online Learning at Alfred State College of Technology. He has experience working in Diversity Education, Academic Integrity, and Leadership Education at the University at Buffalo. Jeremy advises students within the Healthcare Management, Individual Studies, Technology Management, and Court Reporting programs, and provides general advising support to all other online students. Along with ASC’s two online success coaches, he runs the ‘Online Student Lounge’ Teams space. Jeremy strives to offer holistic advising, promote online student engagement, build collaborative communities, and connect students’ coursework to their careers.
Lisa Melohusky is the Director of Online Learning at the State University of New York at Fredonia a Prior to her 18 years at Fredonia she taught at a private girls high school. At Fredonia, Lisa’s focus is to work with faculty to develop online courses and programs, find ways to improve the online student experience, and support the LMS for all course modalities. Recently Fredonia has been developing online graduate programs and undergraduate degree completion programs.
Brianna Garland is the inaugural Online Support Coach at the State University of New York at Fredonia. In this role, she dedicates half of her time to supporting Fredonia’s fully online graduate students and the other half to assisting Fredonia’s faculty as an Instructional Designer. Prior to joining Fredonia, Brianna worked as an 8th grade math teacher in a small, rural public school district in Western New York and holds a Professional Teaching Certificate in Mathematics (Grades 7-12). Brianna is also an alum of Fredonia herself, earning both her MSEd in Curriculum & Instruction in Inclusive Education and her BS in Mathematics Adolescence Education from Fredonia. Additionally, she has earned her MS in Higher Education & Student Affairs Administration from Buffalo State University. In her free time, Brianna enjoys taking walks outdoors with her dogs and cheering on the Buffalo Bills.
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
Kurt Maier is a father and dedicated community leader from Castleton, NY. He is working towards a degree in Healthcare Management at Alfred State College of Technology to further his career. With 16 years of experience in healthcare, Kurt currently serves as a Cost of Care Director for ElevanceHealth. A Marine Corps veteran, he actively supports his community through several roles, including Vice President of the local Board of Education, Treasurer of his local Kiwanis Club, and Trustee for his VFW post. Kurt also serves as the Chartered Organization Representative for the Boy Scout Troop and Cub Scout Pack in his area. His dedication to service and helping others is evident in all that he does.
