Jennifer Mathes, Ph.D., serves as the Chief Executive Officer of the Online Learning Consortium (OLC). In her role, she sets the strategic direction for the organization and spearheads the development of key projects and programs to benefit OLC members. With over 25 years of experience in both public and private sectors of education, Dr. Mathes has been a staunch advocate for digital learning initiatives. In addition, Dr. Mathes is the author of the ICDE Report Global Quality in Online, Open, Flexible and Technology Enhanced Education: An Analysis of Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (2019) and co-editor of the OLC Quality Scorecard Handbook: Criteria for Excellence in Blended Learning Programs (2017). She continues to write and present on key topics in online, blended and digital learning.

Dr. Mathes began her academic journey as a faculty member, eventually ascending to the role of Chief Academic Officer. She has also served as a consultant, advising educational institutions on implementing best practices in online education. Her recent work has involved collaborating with higher education associations and institutions internationally to support the global adoption of best practices in online learning.

Dr. Mathes earned her Doctor of Philosophy in Education from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She also holds a Master of Science in Business Education and a Bachelor of Science in Mass Communications, both from Illinois State University.

Dylan Barth is the Vice President for Innovation and Programs. Dylan provides strategic vision and oversight for professional development, consulting, research and publications, and the Quality Scorecard Suite at OLC. He has 20+ years of experience teaching in higher education and 12+ years working in faculty and instructional development. Dylan holds a Ph.D. in English from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee with an emphasis on masculinities in contemporary post-apocalyptic fiction.

As the Chief Financial Officer at the Online Learning Consortium, Jenny Brown is responsible for all of the organization's financial activities, including budgeting and forecasting, accounting, audit, internal controls, treasury and investment, and taxes. She also supports the organization's strategic direction and informs key stakeholders of the financial health of the organization.

Prior to joining the OLC, Ms. Brown spent 18 years at KPMG serving the public accounting industry. For the past five years, she served as a Director in KPMG Business School - Audit as a member of the Learning Experience Design leadership team, managing those responsible for creating learning and development material for KPMG's U.S. audit professionals. Before that, she audited multinational public entities, working both in the United States and Germany.

Ms. Brown is a certified public accountant. She holds a Master in Professional Accounting degree from the University of Texas -Austin, McCombs School of Business, and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with concentrations in Accounting and Finance from Trinity University. She is fluent in both English and German.

Pronouns: she/her/hers

Brenda Weiss-Pesta is the Assistant Vice President, Membership and Sponsorship for the Online Learning Consortium. She is responsible for the relationships with new and existing sponsorship partners and building opportunities to share their products and services with valued OLC members and the OLC online learning community.

Prior to joining OLC, Brenda was a sales manager in the educational technology industry working with both higher education institutions and K-12 districts in the northeast. She has been active in her central Minnesota community as a chairperson and a volunteer on youth related projects and is a member of her local planning and zoning commission. Brenda has a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Northwestern College.

Colette A. Chelf, Ed.D. serves as Director of Grants for the Online Learning Consortium where she scopes and manages a diverse portfolio of grant funded projects. She brings over 20 years of experience to OLC as a project manager and learning strategist in educational, corporate, and government sectors. Colette’s entrepreneurial spirit guides her work focusing on transformative change through creative problem-solving and teamwork. She is passionate about providing educational opportunities to all learners by building strategic partnerships to develop and scale inclusive educational resources and services. She holds an Ed.D. in Educational Leadership and a M.A. in Communication from Western Kentucky University and a B.A. in Psychology from the University of Kentucky.

Zeren Eder has over 20 years of experience in higher education and has been designing, developing and facilitating online and blended courses since 2005. Prior to joining OLC in 2010, Zeren worked as faculty in various institutions teaching and designing face-to-face, blended and online courses. Currently, she is the Assistant Director of Partnership Management.

Zeren holds a BA in Education with emphasis in English, MA in Linguistics, and ABD status in English Literature . She is also alumna of OLC's Online Teaching Certificate, and IELOL (Institute for Emerging Leadership in Online Learning) programs.

As the Director of Research, Kristen guides the strategic vision for the Research Institute and OLC Press and operationalizes research opportunities for the OLC. She cultivates partnerships with educators, sponsors, and practitioners to drive innovative research pertaining to digital, blended, and online learning. Kristen has taught for over ten years at the collegiate level, with expertise in learning support (face-to-face, hybrid, and online), writing studies, writing centers, and adult literacy. Her research has appeared in peer-reviewed journals and edited collections focused on online writing instruction, accessibility, and healthcare communication. Kristen holds a Ph.D. in Rhetorics, Communication, and Information Design from Clemson University, an M.A. in Rhetoric and Composition from the University of South Florida, and a B.A. in English (Professional and Technical Writing) from the University of South Florida.

As Director of Professional Learning, Josh guides the strategy and operations of OLC's Institute for Professional Development. He has over twelve years of higher education leadership and instructional experience. He has also published and presented widely on higher education practices, pedagogical research, and interdisciplinary scholarship. Josh holds a Ph.D. in Rhetorics, Communication, and Information Design from Clemson University and an M.A. in English from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.

Christine Hinkley has worked in sales and marketing for over 25 years. She currently serves as the Online Learning Consortium's Senior Director, Conferences & Events. In this capacity, Christine, in conjunction with the Director, Conferences and the Conference Services Manager, provides direction and leadership toward the planning and implementation of OLC's two annual conferences, plus other major events. Formerly, Christine assisted with OLC's conferences as part of her duties as Business Development Manager at The University of Central Florida's Division of Continuing Education. Christine's sales, marketing, and business development skills were honed through the years in the transportation and medical fields, where she served in various sales and product management roles for Roche Molecular Diagnostics, Baxter Scientific Products, REMEL Microbiology, and CF AirFreight. Christine is a graduate of the University of Iowa with a B.B.A. Business Administration - Marketing.

Veronica Gonzalez Hoff is the Director of Marketing and Communications for the Online Learning Consortium. She is responsible for marketing and communications strategy, public and media relations, and the brand identity of OLC. 

Prior to joining OLC, Veronica was the Communications Coordinator for the Division of Student Affairs at Texas A&M University. Over the last decade, she has held various marketing and communications positions within the higher education industry. She brings her expertise in public and media relations, social media strategy and content development, and website content management.

Veronica is working on her Ed.D. in Higher Education Leadership through Sam Houston State University. Her research examines how student affairs functions utilize social media and other digital spaces as an extension of their services to support and build digital community with students. She also holds an M.S. in Publishing from the University of Houston-Victoria and a B.A. in Communications with an emphasis on print journalism from the University of Texas-Pan American.

Robert Pope oversees technical operations at the OLC.  He directs the development of all OLC web properties, mobile apps and systems integrations. He has a degree in computer and electronic engineering technologies CEET.

Suzie Reed joined Online Learning Consortium in a part-time bookkeeping capacity and eventually became a full-time member of the Finance team as a Financial Analyst. Her responsibilities include day-to-day bookkeeping, payroll, reporting, and analysis. Suzie has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Finance from Salem State University.

Katie Fife Schuster serves as the Director of Programming for the Online Learning Consortium, where she is a key architect in thought leadership and strategic planning for the organization. Dedicated to innovating and directing a diverse array of programming initiatives, she designs and implements both virtual and onsite programs, including OLC's specialized symposiums and leadership institutes, showcasing her adaptability in today's evolving digital learning landscape.

Katie has been an integral part of OLC since 2001 and has made significant contributions to the success of the organization in various roles. With a background in the publishing industry, she brings a pragmatic and results-oriented approach to her work. Katie holds a BA from Tufts University in anthropology and Spanish, is a certified yoga teacher, and is a proud graduate of OLC's IELOL program.

3Pronouns: she, her, hers
Twitter: @MaddieShellgren

As the Director of Global Outreach, Madeline (Maddie) Shellgren, Ph.D., serves as the lead innovator, designer, and project manager of the OLC's portfolio of online engagement opportunities. Known for her love of storytelling, play, and all things gameful, Maddie thrives on facilitating and designing meaningful ways for people to connect, learn, and grow together. Within the OLC, she has served on steering and operations committees for several of the organization’s conferences (including as Technology Test Kitchen and Innovation Studio lead, as well as Engagement Co-Chair) and has had the distinct honor of being the mastermind behind the OLC Escape Rooms. She looks forward to continuing supporting OLC community building efforts, is committed to sustainable, equitable, and anti-oppressive ecologies within education, and is genuinely excited to leverage her interdisciplinary scholarly and professional backgrounds as she helps lead the OLC towards truly innovative and transformative models for what’s possible for online and digital engagement. Maddie joins the OLC from Michigan State University (MSU), where she has served as the lead on numerous student success initiatives related to instructional design and technology, accessibility, and equity and inclusion. Over the past eleven years, Maddie has dedicated her professional life to teaching and learning related initiatives and has strategically sought out opportunities that give her a multi-dimensional perspective on teaching and learning, including working as a Standardized Patient training medical students, serving as Program Director for Teaching Assistant development, taking lead on a number of cross-institutional educator onboarding and professional development projects, and teaching across online and face-to-face contexts. She most recently worked as an Assistant Rowing Coach for the MSU Varsity Women’s Rowing Program. There she was given the opportunity to help redesign a community from the bottom up, story the team's new journey together in fun and multimodal ways, lead in the co-construction of community expectations and norms, help ensure alignment across a variety of stakeholders and initiatives, and develop and operationalize strategic structures for long-term sustainability (such as entirely new social media, marketing, communications, and content management strategies). She had the privilege of seeing the impact of her human-centered and equity-oriented approach each and every day as the team reimagined what it meant to be a Spartan on the MSU Rowing Team. With her move to the OLC, she will continue on as a volunteer coach, still supporting these efforts and the team, and is excited to get back on the water.

Phil Denman serves as Coordinator of the Quality Scorecard Suite for the Online Learning Consortium where he leads quality assurance programs related to online, blended, and digital learning. He brings over 20 years of experience to OLC, including 15 years spent as an instructional designer, initially helping launch UC Berkeley's first two fully-online Master's degree programs, then spending 10 years at San Diego State University. During this time, he held concurrent roles with the California State University Chancellor's Office, serving as Campus Coordinator for the Course Redesign with Technology initiative leading faculty to implement high impact practices to improve student success, as well the Faculty Lead for Quality Assurance where he developed programs to evaluate and improve online and blended learning. Outside of higher education, Phil has also held roles in product development, marketing, and broadcasting. He holds a M.S. in Education from California State University, East Bay and a B.A. in Communication Arts from Allegheny College, a small liberal arts college in Pennsylvania.

Diana Garcia has been a part of the Online Learning Consortium since Fall of 2022. You can often find her assisting customers over the phone and via emails. Her prior years of experience in customer service have given her the skills to promptly and effectively solve customer inquiries. Diana holds both the Google Project Management Certificate and the Salesforce Sales Operations Certification. In her spare time, you can find her crafting and drinking coffee.

Kaitlin Garrett is an instructional designer with OLC and she is responsible for supporting the Advanced Online Teaching Certificate program. She has worked in higher education for 7 years with a focus on learning management systems and distance education.

Prior to joining OLC, Kaitlin was a module coordinator at the University of Central Florida’s College of Medicine. She assisted first-year module directors and faculty teams with the planning, design, implementation, and evaluation of instructional materials used in both synchronous and asynchronous environments.

Kaitlin holds a MA in Educational Leadership (Higher Education/Student Personnel), a graduate certificate in Instructional Design and Technology (e-Learning), and a BS in Psychology from the University of Central Florida.

Natalya Hierholzer is the Graphic Designer and Marketing Specialist for the Online Learning Consortium. She supports OLC marketing and communication and is responsible for developing and designing social media elements, conference promotional materials, website design, and visual identity development for OLC.

Prior to supporting OLC, Natalya attended Texas A&M University where she earned her B.S. in Visualization with an emphasis in UI/UX and graphic design and a minor in Art and Architectural History. She began her career in design for marketing as a student intern for the Division of Student Affairs at Texas A&M University. Here, she learned the role and importance of design in communications and how to leverage visual communication for marketing in order to build meaningful and long-lasting connections. 

Out of office, Natalya loves crocheting, designing crochet patterns, reading, and spending time with her cat.

Laurie provides expert guidance and assistance to OLC members to ensure the successful utilization of their membership benefits and ease in the process of renewal. Laurie brings her many years of experience in sponsor and conference attendee relationship support and works closely with the OLC membership team to ensure continuous high-quality membership offerings and communications. Laurie graduated from Colorado State University with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration.

As Partnership Manager, Mary works to promote OLC's resources and services, helping our members get the most use from their membership and working with potential members to highlight how OLC can benefit their organization and professional advancement.

Prior to joining OLC, Mary has over 25 years in strategic sales and account management partnering with higher education and K-12 institutions with a focus on exceeding customer experience and engagement. She is passionate about making a difference. Her goal is to empower everyone to reach their full potential. Mary looks forward to working as an extension of your team to support your efforts in reaching your online learning goals. Mary attended her local technical college and was focused on Industrial Technology, learning valuable skills she was able utilize with her employer at that time Cray Research Inc.

After hours, Mary can be found enjoying the great Wisconsin outdoors. She is obsessed with the sport of volleyball and has coached and currently officiates. Her family owns and operates apple orchards, so if you are looking for a good apple pie recipe she can help. The last couple years, she has been blessed with 3 grandchildren and is always looking for the opportunity to spend more time with them.

Cindy Schanke is an instructional designer at the OLC where she provides instructional design, course development, and educational technology expertise within the OLC Institute for Professional Development. In 2000, she got her start in the eLearning field for government and industry, and in 2013 she began working as an instructional designer in higher education. She joined OLC in 2021 after serving Elizabethtown College as the Assistant Director of Online Learning. She holds a Masters of Science degree in Instructional Technology from Bloomsburg University and an undergraduate degree in Psychology from Lock Haven University.

Clarise began working with the Online Learning Consortium in the fall of 2016.  You’ll find her in many places where customers connect with OLC, most notably in the chat room, adding a personal touch to virtual communications.  Clarise is always happy to help, whether guiding customers through a registration process, answering questions, or resolving concerns quickly. 

Previously Clarise spent 20 years in customer-facing roles in the hospitality industry, working for an airline company in reservations and in their private club.  She’s also served as an assistant librarian and an office manager.  Clarise has a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Emmanuel College.

Elisabeth Stucklen is an instructional designer in the Online Learning Consortium's Institute for Professional Development, where she provides course design/production and facilitation support for the Instructional Designer Certificate Program and serves as the instructional designer in the Institute for Emerging Leadership in Online Learning (IELOL) program. She has worked in online higher education and instructional design for over 17 years. Prior to joining OLC, she worked as the senior instructional designer at Mount Washington College (MWC) in Manchester, NH, where she was responsible for creating new online courses, providing training and support for faculty, and assisting the director in monitoring the course development process. Before MWC, she worked at Lesley University providing professional development and course design assistance to faculty. In addition to her role with the OLC, Elisabeth also teaches online for Brandeis University in their Masters in Learning Experience Design program and has served as a mentor in the Educause ID2ID cross-institutional peer mentoring program for the instructional designer.

Elisabeth holds a Masters of Science in Instructional Design and Technology from Emporia State University and a Bachelor of Science in Visual Communication Technology from Lesley University and is a graduate of the 2020 cohort for the Institute for Emerging Leadership in Online Learning (IELOL).