WCET Executive Council

Alexandera (Sasha) Thackaberry

WCET Executive Council Chair, Associate Vice Chancellor for Learning Experience Design & Innovation, National University System

sthackaberry@nu.edu

Michael K. Moore

WCET Executive Council Vice Chair, Vice President for Academic Affairs, University of Arkansas System

mmoore@uasys.edu

Loraine Pai Schmitt

WCET Executive Council, Executive Dean, Academic & Student Affairs Innovation & Technology, Portland Community College

loraine.schmitt@pcc.edu

Dale P. Johnson

WCET Executive Council, Director of Digital Innovation, Arizona State University

dale.johnson@asu.edu

LinkedIn Profile

As director of digital innovations for the University Design Institute at Arizona State University, Dale Johnson works with university leaders to develop and implement digital solutions to enable student success. Those efforts have earned him the 2016 Sally M. Johnstone Award from WCET recognizing his thought leadership, excellence in practice, and demonstrated leadership capabilities. In 2018, Dale was honored by the IMS Global Learning Consortium with an outstanding service award for his leadership of the adaptive courseware community of practice. He has spoken on the topic of digital innovation in higher education at more than 20 conferences in the USA, Rwanda, Brazil, South Korea, Germany, Mexico, Russia, and Vietnam, and has led workshops on the subject at numerous universities.

Mordecai Ian Brownlee

President, Community College of Aurora

@ItsDrMordecailinkedin.com/in/drmordecaibrownlee

On July 15, 2021, Mordecai Ian Brownlee became the sixth president of the Community College of Aurora in Colorado. With campuses in Aurora and Denver, CCA is a Hispanic-serving institution providing instruction to nearly 12,000 students throughout its 350-square mile service area. Prior to this appointment, Mordecai served as the vice president for student success at St. Philip’s College in San Antonio, Texas. Along with the presidency, Mordecai continues his work as a higher education columnist for EdSurge. He was recently featured by EdTech Magazine as one of the 30 most interesting voices in higher education who are shaping the conversation around IT and edtech.

Leah Matthews

Executive Director, Distance Education Accrediting Commission

Tina Parscal

WCET Steering Committee, WCET Executive Council, Associate Vice Chancellor for CCCOnline and Academic Affairs, Colorado Community College System

tina.parscal@cccs.edu

@tjp303LinkedIn Profile

Tina Parscal is the associate vice chancellor for CCCOnline and Academic Affairs for the Colorado Community College System (CCCS), a position in which she provides executive leadership for Colorado Community Colleges Online (CCCOnline), system-wide academic technologies, learning design, professional development, and open educational resources. She also coordinates collaboration and communication among the colleges, CCCS, and CCCOnline, and the emerging Colorado Online@ consortium. Tina has extensive experience in higher education and has held a variety of instrumental roles including provost/chief academic officer, executive director, college dean, and professor. She remains a champion for access and equity in higher education and was named a “Woman Worth Watching” by the Profiles in Diversity Journal in 2014.

Shannon Riggs

WCET Steering Committee Chair, WCET Executive Council, Executive Director of Academic Programs and Learning Innovation, Oregon State University Ecampus

shannon.riggs@oregonstate.edu

@ShannonRiggsLinkedIn Profile

Shannon Riggs is the author of Thrive Online: A New Approach to Building Expertise and Confidence as an Online Educator. Active nationally in the field of online education, Shannon regularly presents at conferences and has written for publication about online course development, faculty development, leadership, and innovation. She is active in several national online education organizations and is a member of the WCET Steering Committee. Shannon currently serves as the executive director of academic programs and learning innovation for Oregon State University Ecampus. She is an avid quilter, dog walker, and a fairly new member of the grandma club.

Jory Hadsell

WCET Steering Committee Vice Chair, Associate Vice Chancellor and Executive Director, California Virtual Campus, California Community Colleges

jhadsell@cvc.edu

@joryhadsellLinkedIn Profile

Don Bennett

WCET Executive Council, Deputy Director, Washington Student Achievement Council and WICHE Commissioner

donb@wsac.wa.gov

LinkedIn Profile

Russ Poulin

Executive Director, WCET & Vice President for Technology-Enhanced Education, WICHE

303-541-0305rpoulin@wiche.edu

@RussPoulinLinkedIn Profile

Russ Poulin is the executive director for WCET. He directs the team’s work in supporting the efforts of postsecondary institutions from all 50 states with a focus on the policy and practice of digital learning. He is a highly sought-after expert and leader regarding policy issues for distance education and on-campus uses of educational technologies. As WICHE vice president for technology-enhanced education, he advises on policy and projects for the regional higher education compact. Russ’s commitment to the field is continually noted, and he was honored to have represented the distance education community on federal negotiated rulemaking committees and subcommittees. Russ has received recognition from the Online Learning Consortium (OLC), the Presidents’ Forum, Excelsior College, and the National University Technology Network (NUTN) for his contributions to postsecondary digital education and educational policy.

Russ received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Colorado Denver and holds a master’s degree from the University of Northern Colorado. For no discernible reason, Russ also writes movie reviews for WCET members. As a movie enthusiast, Russ is most fascinated with characters and plots that surprise him. In addition, Russ is a recovering trivia guy who is also partial to cats and to his wife, Laurie.