WCET Executive Council

Darcy W. Hardy

WCET Executive Council Chair, Founder and Chief Strategist, The Hardy Group

(512) 757-5005darcy.hardy@thehardygrp.com

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Darcy W. Hardy is the founder and chief strategist of The Hardy Group. She is an award-winning distance and online learning professional who has worked as a higher education administrator, an IPA with the Obama administration, a board member of state and national associations, and a contributor in higher education edtech. Within the field of online learning, she focuses on strategy & vision; organization & governance; policy, process & practice; and quality oversight.

Darcy spent over 30 years in public higher education, including The University of Texas System, The University of Texas at Austin, UT San Antonio, and Texas State University – San Marcos. She was honored by Texas State University as a Distinguished Alumna in 2012. She was inducted into the USDLA Hall of Fame in 2009 and received the Mildred and Charles Wedemeyer Outstanding Distance Learning Practitioner Award in Madison, Wisconsin, in 2006. In addition, she was inducted into the Texas Distance Learning Association Hall of Fame in 2006 and received the WCET Richard Jonsen Award in 2005.

Cynthia Pascal

WCET Executive Council, Associate Vice President of eLearning, Northern Virginia Community College, NOVA Online

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Dr. Cynthia Pascal is the associate vice president of eLearning at Northern Virginia Community College’s online division, overseeing faculty services, instructional design, student services, and educational technology support services for over 550 faculty and 35,000 asynchronous students. She and her team prioritize inclusive, culturally responsive practices to promote student success through authentic engagement and open pedagogy. When not serving NOVA, she supports higher education leaders in designing holistic support services, policies, and practices to better serve marginalized and non-traditional populations.

Emma Zone

WCET Executive Council, Senior Director, Academic Affairs, D2L

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Dr. Emma Zone is the senior director of academic affairs at D2L, bringing 25 years of experience teaching, leading, and driving change within and across organizations. In her role, she supports the thought leadership strategy and all functions of Academic Affairs.
Previously holding senior leadership roles in higher education and edtech, her work has centered on helping organizations redefine their teaching and learning strategies across modalities, with a passion for faculty engagement and student access. Emma has teaching and curriculum development experience spanning the K-12, community college, and university levels.

Emma has long been committed to shepherding teaching and learning innovation, including leading large-scale institutional initiatives and courseware implementations. She served as the chair of the executive committee for the Courseware in Context framework, and she continues to share in the national conversation on the intersection of educational technology, optimizing teaching and learning, and institutional success.

Leslie Kennedy

WCET Executive Council, Assistant Vice Chancellor, California State University, Office of the Chancellor

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Melissa Vito

WCET Executive Council, Vice Provost, UTSA Academic Innovation

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Dr. Melissa Vito is a nationally recognized higher education leader with more than 35 years of experience advancing student success and institutional innovation. At the University of Arizona, she served as Senior Vice President for Enrollment and Student Affairs and Senior Vice Provost for Academic Initiatives and Student Success. She led the Campus Emergency Response Team, developed policies, and created the Student Success District, transforming campus spaces to support academic achievement and student well-being.

After retiring briefly in 2018, Melissa joined the University of Texas at San Antonio as Vice Provost for Academic Innovation. She elevated UTSA Online into the top 20% of online programs nationwide, established the Academic Innovation Center, and led pioneering efforts to integrate generative AI into education.

Her honors include NASPA’s Pillar of the Profession award and recognition as an Online Learning Consortium Fellow. Melissa holds degrees from the University of Arizona and a doctorate in Educational Leadership from Northern Arizona University.

Ryan Faulkner

WCET Steering Committee Chair, Executive Council, Dean of Online Learning, College of Eastern Idaho

ryan.faulkner@cei.edu

LinkedIn Profile

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Ryan Faulkner is celebrating 25 years of experience in distance education and eight years at the College of Eastern Idaho (CEI). He began his career at Idaho State University, where he managed video-based courses before transitioning into online learning. In January 2018, he joined CEI and led the development of the institution’s online learning program as it transitioned from Eastern Idaho Technical College to the College of Eastern Idaho. Ryan is Chair of the WCET Steering Committee.

Outside of work, Ryan enjoys spending time with his wife and his dogs. He is also the proud owner of a pet turtle named Pokey.​‌

Fred Lokken

WCET Executive Council, Professor, Truckee Meadows Community College

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Fred is currently chair of the Business, History and Political Science Department, past dean of TMCC WebCollege, and in his 32nd year as a professor of Political Science at Truckee Meadows Community College. Fred also is a member of the Board of Directors (since 2003) for the Instructional Technology Council (ITC), an Affiliated Council of the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC). He has served as chair (twice) and is a founding faculty member of the ITC Annual Leadership Academy – now in its 15th year. He also conducts the annual ITC National Distance Learning Survey of Community Colleges, chair the advocacy committee, and authors the weekly ITC eNews Digest/column. He also served as the chair of the Council of Affiliated Councils (COAC) for seven years.

Van Davis

Executive Director, WCET & Vice President, Digital Learning, WICHE

vdavis@wiche.edu

LinkedIn Profile

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Expertise Includes:

• Artificial Intelligence,
• Policy and Practice,
• Federal and State Distance Education Policy,
• Degree Completion Initiatives,
• Competency-based Education,
• the Cost and Price of Distance Education, and,
• the Future of Higher Education and Digital Learning.  

Bio

Van Davis joined WCET in 2021 as chief strategy officer, and in 2025, he became WCET’s executive director and WICHE’s vice president for digital learning. Davis oversees all strategic and operational responsibilities of WCET’s membership, the State Authorization Network (SAN) that assists institutions with interstate compliance, and Every Learner Everywhere, which advocates for successful academic outcomes for all postsecondary education students through advances in digital learning. 

Van has 30 years of experience in higher education as a faculty member, academic administrator, state policy maker, and edtech leader. He holds a Master’s and PhD in 20th Century US history with an emphasis in civil rights from Vanderbilt University and a Bachelor’s in history from Southwestern University. Prior to joining WCET and WICHE, Van served as principal at Foghlam Consulting, associate vice president at Blackboard Inc., director of innovation at the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, and a faculty member and academic administrator at several public and private universities with historically underrepresented student populations.  

Van lives in Colorado with his beloved wife, Lisa, and their cat, Kody. When not working, Van collects Lego models and dreams of the day he can complete his western US camping trip.