eLearning Consortia: Stories from the Past Looking to the Future

Kevin Corcoran

Executive Director, Connecticut Distance Learning Consortium

Carol Gould

Executive Director, Great Plains IDEA, Kansas State University

Pat James

@ONE Course Facilitator, California Community Colleges Virtual Campus & Online Education Initiative

Pat James was the initial executive director of the California Community Colleges Online Education Initiative (OEI). Currently, Pat is a project consultant for the OEI and for Pat James Consulting, an Online Network of Educators (@ONE) facilitator for CVC, an instructor at Evergreen Valley College, and a part-time consultant for Instructure. She is a creative, experienced online educator in the areas of program planning, course design, implementation, professional development, budget development, and program management. She is the recipient of multiple grant awards and holds awards for her leadership work from OLC Leadership, Pearson Excellence in Academic Leadership, Mt. San Jacinto College, and the California Community Colleges.

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.

Tina Parscal

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.