Fostering Community and Belonging Beyond the Workplace Water Cooler

Leah Chuchran-Davis

Vice President of Learner Experience Design, iDesign

Leah Chuchran-Davis is the vice president of LX design at iDesign, a partner to universities that wish to build, grow, and support online and blended course program offerings. She focuses on the development of distributed teams that are highly collaborative and innovative in learning design. Her current research interests include competency-based education (CBE) and workforce skills development, building learning communities, and humanizing the online classroom. She currently resides in western North Carolina on 36 acres in the Blue Ridge Mountains as she, the farmer, and four children enjoy outdoor life on a biodynamic farm.

Luke Dowden

WCET Executive Council, Chief Online Learning Officer, Alamo Colleges District

Dr. Luke Dowden is the Chief Online Learning Officer for the Alamo Colleges District. Through Alamo Colleges Online, he leads and supports capacity-building initiatives at all five community colleges so each may gain a greater market share of online learners in their respective service areas. He joined the Quality Matters Board of Directors in 2021 and is a current member of the QM Board’s Executive Committee, serves on the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board’s Learning Technology Advisory Committee, and is a member of the University Professional and Continuing Education Association (UPCEA) Council for Credential Innovation Leadership. He is an Executive Council member for the WICHE Cooperative for Educational Technologies (WCET). Dr. Dowden has been honored four consecutive years by either the Emerging Leaders Program as a Trusted Leader (2019, 2020) or by Alamo Colleges Academy for Leadership Success (ALAS) as an Essential Leader (2021, 2022). In May 2022, Dr. Dowden was honored as one of three recipients of the new Excellence in Leadership Practice Award from the 2022 Alamo Colleges District Emerging Leaders Class.

He was named to the Online Learning Consortium’s distinguished Class of Fellows in 2022. Dr. Dowden was honored in 2023 by 1EdTech with a Leadership Award in Digital Credentials.

Whitney Kilgore

Co-Founder and Chief Academic Officer, iDesign

Whitney Kilgore is co-founder and chief academic officer of iDesign, a partner to universities that wish to build, grow, and support online and blended course program offerings. iDesign provides concierge, white-glove instructional design support to faculty partners and ensure that faculty feel comfortable, informed, and in control throughout the process of creating online learning experiences for their students. Whitney is currently working on research related to care theory in online learning and the impact to practice of humanizing online teaching and learning. She resides in North Texas with her husband, their four children, two dogs, and a cat. They enjoy hiking, swimming, and wearing their masks.

Patrice Torcivia Prusko

Director of Learning Design, Technology and Media, Harvard University

patrice_torcivia@gse.Harvard.edu

@profpatriceLinkedIn Profile

As director of learning design, technology and media within the Harvard Graduate School of Education Teaching and Learning Lab, Patrice Torcivia Prusko oversees the design, development, and project management of online and technology enhanced courses in the TLL portfolio. Most recently, her team led the design and development of the first fully online Master’s program at HGSE. Patrice’s research interests include the assessment of pedagogical practices in online learning, application of theory to practice, and cultivation of care. She is passionate about increasing global access to STEM education for all women and believes this will enable more communities across the globe to thrive and flourish.

Chantae Recasner

WCET Steering Committee Chair, WCET Executive Council, Vice President for Instruction, Seattle Central College

chantae.recasner@seattlecolleges.edu

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