Participating in the Institute for Emerging Leadership in Online Learning (IELOL) through the Online Learning Consortium was a genuinely transformational experience for me professionally, personally, and in ways I could not have anticipated when I first applied. IELOL is designed as a cohort-based, immersive leadership development program for professionals advancing online, blended, and digital learning, bringing together participants from across institutions and geographic contexts to explore leadership, strategy, and change in higher education. While the program’s structure and curriculum are impressive on their own, what made IELOL truly life-changing for me was the depth of mentoring from the faculty, the enduring relationships formed with my cohort, and the profound sense of belonging I discovered from participating.
From the very beginning, IELOL distinguished itself through its intentional design as a faculty-led, cohort-centered experience. The program combines an online immersion, an intensive in-person residency, and sustained collaborative work, all aimed at helping participants clarify their leadership identities while grappling with real institutional challenges in digital learning. What stood out to me immediately was how deeply invested the faculty were. They were not just committed to delivering content, but in mentoring us as emerging leaders. One of the faculty members, in particular, took me under her wing and my life was forever changed (I’m looking at you Cristi Ford!). Through thoughtful questioning, feedback, and modeling, she helped me see my own strengths more clearly and challenged me to step into leadership with greater confidence and purpose.
This mentoring was especially meaningful because it occurred in relationship with a cohort that quickly became a community. IELOL is explicit about the importance of building networks and fostering lasting professional connections, and that intention was evident in every aspect of the program design. Working closely with my cohort on team-based projects, case studies, and reflective leadership work created a level of trust and mutual respect that is rare in professional development experiences. Over time, these colleagues became not only collaborators, but trusted sounding boards and friends. Long after the formal program concluded, those relationships have continued to shape my professional growth and sustain me through challenges and transitions. Last year and this one, I’m proud to serve on the faculty alongside two of my cohort members, Maricel Lawerence and Brad Washington! What a terrific full-circle moment for the three of us. But, I digress.
One of the most unexpected and personally significant outcomes of IELOL was how it transformed my relationship with professional conferences. Before IELOL, attending large conferences was a source of intense social anxiety for me. The scale, the crowds, and the sense of being alone in a sea of unfamiliar faces often felt overwhelming. IELOL changed that completely. As I filed into the line at the first OLC conference after our immersion experience, only making eye contact with the carpet and making plans to escape to my hotel room as quickly as possible, I heard a chorus of “Bettyjo, over here” … and there was my cohort! In that moment, I became part of a clearly defined professional community connected to the broader OLC Leadership Network and alumni community. I found “my people.” That sense of belonging did more than ease my anxiety; it completely rid me of it. Conferences became spaces of connection, curiosity, and joy rather than stress. I could focus fully on learning, contributing, and engaging because I knew I was part of a community that welcomed and valued me.
This shift had a profound impact on my leadership practice. Confidence gained through faculty mentoring, reinforced by cohort relationships, and solidified through meaningful professional networks changed how I show up in my work. IELOL helped me understand leadership not as a solitary endeavor, but as a relational one that is rooted in trust, shared purpose, and collective learning. These lessons align directly with IELOL’s goals of cultivating leaders who can recognize opportunities, navigate institutional complexity, and build networks that advance digital learning locally and globally.
Looking back, IELOL was not just a professional development program for me; it was a turning point. It reshaped my leadership identity, expanded my professional world, and gave me a sense of belonging that continues to influence how I engage with colleagues and communities today. The supportive mentoring, enduring cohort connections, and the confidence I gained, especially in spaces that once felt intimidating, are lasting gifts. IELOL did exactly what it promises: it developed me as a leader. What I didn’t expect was how deeply it would also help me find my place.
I approach my third year serving on the faculty with gratitude, honor, and a sense of hope ready to meet our next cohort—let’s make 2026’s cohort the best one yet!
