Benjamin Deaton is Vice President of Technology, Online Learning and Innovation at Anderson University. In this position, Deaton is responsible for bringing together the core services of learning and information technology, online learning, learning design and academic innovation to serve the needs of Anderson University students. Concurrently, Deaton serves as Executive Director of the Center for Innovation and Digital Learning (CIDL) at Anderson University.

Dr. Lashley serves as Associate Chief Academic Officer for the Idaho State Board of Education. He previously served as the Senior Instructional Technologist at Boise State University, where he designed teaching and learning initiatives and organizes communities of practice around open, online, and technology-enhanced learning. He also teaches as a lead faculty member in the First-Year Writing program. Best known for his work in open education, Lashley has mentored others as both an OER Research Fellow and a Designing with OER (DOER) Fellow in association with the Open Education Group, has advised universities across the country about open education strategy as a Faculty Presenter for the Open Textbook Network, and recently co-edited and -authored OER: A Field Guide for Academic Librarians. A Doctor of Philosophy in Learning Sciences, his scholarship focuses on design-based strategies for promoting choice, diversifying collaboration, and supporting risk as faculty explore open and distributed educational practices.

Jennifer provides leadership in researching and planning strategic initiatives, special projects and partnerships that align with OLC’s mission, vision and goals. Dr. Mathes has nearly 20 years of experience in both public and private for-profit higher education where she has supported online learning initiatives since she taught her first online course in 1997. She has been instrumental in working with start-up online initiatives as well as leading growth in institutions with an existing online program. She holds a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Education from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign where she wrote her dissertation on “Predictors for Student Success in Online Education.” She also has earned a Master of Science degree in Business Education and a Bachelor of Science degree in Mass Communications from Illinois State University.