Bryan Aylward, Psy.D. (IELOL Alumni 2021; Faculty 2024)

Dr. Bryan Aylward is the Associate Vice President overseeing The Office of Academic Innovation, Operations and Technology for The University of Arizona Global Campus. Dr. Aylward has almost 16 years of experience in higher education operations across numerous departments including student services, registrar, curriculum operations, and currently within the Office of the Provost. In addition to this experience, Dr. Aylward has been an associate faculty member for the Forbes School of Business and Technology® since 2012 with focused instruction on leadership and management courses for the college. Dr. Aylward is an advocate of high-quality education, with experience in online, traditional classroom formats, as well as hybrid classroom formats (Online and Classroom) and is well versed in the challenges that exist for both students and faculty. Dr. Aylward received his Doctor of Psychology, with a specialization in Business and Organizational Leadership in 2017 from the University of the Rockies in Denver, CO. Dr. Aylward is also an alum of the Institute for Emerging Leadership in Online Learning (IELOL) in 2021.

The Office of Academic Innovation, Operations and Technology encompasses five primary functions within the Office of the Provost. These include the Innovation & Technology team, the Faculty Scheduling team, the Contracts & Payroll Compliance team, Academic Project Management, as well as the Data and Academic Systems team. Each of these departments has a direct influence on the university’s mission and goals as we strive to support our faculty and staff in support of student success in their completion of programs and educational goals.

The Office of Academic Innovation, Operations and Technology is an essential department within Academic Affairs and is involved in almost all aspects of the faculty life cycle. The Office of Academic Innovation, Operations and Technology is responsible for managing and maintaining all academic data and faculty records making this team responsible for management of all faculty data for reporting purposes, both internally and externally.

Bettyjo Bouchey, Ed.D. (IELOL Alumni 2018; Faculty 2024)

Dr. Bettyjo Bouchey is Associate Professor and Vice Provost of Digital Strategy and Operations at National Louis University where she is responsible for standards of quality and service for online programming across the institution, alternative graduation pathways, learning experience design, and academic innovation, overall. Dr. Bouchey has had the opportunity to lead all aspects of an online campus and programming in her career and spends time each week in deep dialog with an engaged personal learning network discussing the evolving nature of online education.

Dr. Bouchey holds a B.A. in Psychology from the University at Albany, an M.B.A. in Entrepreneurship from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and a Doctorate in Education from Northeastern University. She is a co-founder of the CORAL Research collaborative focused on online leadership and scholarship; her personal research interests include the nature and future of organizational structures of online units in institutions of higher education, as well as inventive and high-impact pedagogical practice in online teaching, inclusive of artificial intelligence and machine learning. She writes and is widely quoted in the academic and popular press; her articles and curriculum vitae can be accessed here: www.drbouchey.com.

Dr. Bouchey participated in IELOL in 2018; has volunteered in many capacities with OLC over the years; serves on the faculty of the Institute for Professional Development since 2020, co-edited OLC Press’s first volume entitled From Grassroots to the Highly Orchestrated: Online Leaders Share Their Stories of the Evolving Online Landscape in Higher Education published in 2023; and was honored as an OLC Fellow in 2023.

Gary Chinn, Ph.D. (IELOL Alumni 2014; Faculty 2024)

Dr. Gary Chinn is Assistant Dean for Digital Learning at Penn State University’s College of Arts & Architecture. He leads the Office of Digital Learning, which collaborates with faculty in the design, development, and delivery of fully online programs and courses, curricular design of new academic programs, and technology integration in support of resident instruction. In addition to an administrative role, Dr. Chinn teaches online at both the undergrad and graduate levels for the College of Education and the College of Arts & Architecture at Penn State. Additional past roles at the university include an interim head position with the Department of Graphic Design and a yearlong term as an Administrative Fellow with the Office of the President.

Dr. Chinn conducts research into technology-enhanced methods for the teaching of design, specifically focused on the impact of technology on the design studio context. In addition, Dr. Chinn’s research projects include mixed method approaches to identifying factors in online learner affinity toward their educational institution as well as measuring the impact of online learning modalities on general education undergraduate courses. Dr. Chinn serves on the Educause Review advisory committee and acts as a reviewer for the Review of Educational Research.

Dr. Chinn holds a B.S. in film from the University of Texas at Austin, an M.S. in instructional systems technology from Indiana University at Bloomington, and a PhD in learning, design, and technology from Penn State’s College of Education. Chinn is active in professional associations, including 1EdTech, the Council for Adult & Experiential Learning, and the Online Learning Consortium. Dr. Chinn has held leadership roles in the University Professional & Continuing Education Association (UPCEA), WCET, and Educause.

Elizabeth (Liz) Ciabocchi, Ed.D (IELOL Alumni 2010; Faculty 2017, 2019, 2024)

Dr. Elizabeth (Liz) Ciabocchi currently serves as vice provost for academic affairs and clinical associate professor in the School of Education, Ruth S. Ammon College of Education and Health Sciences at Adelphi University in Garden City, NY. In her administrative role, she oversees all curricular offerings, working closely with each of the University’s deans, faculty and administrative offices to implement, manage and revise the curriculum. LIz serves as the primary University liaison to the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE) and the New York State Education Department and oversees the registration of all degree and certificate programs. She is intimately involved in the implementation of online degree programs, oversight of the University’s policies regarding online teaching and learning, quality assurance in online courses and professional development for faculty in the area of online teaching and learning.

With 30+ years of experience in higher education, Liz previously served as vice provost for digital learning and executive director of online learning and services at St. John’s University (NY) and in various administrative roles at Long Island University. She is the author of two book chapters and has published peer-reviewed journal articles and presented her research on leadership and online, blended and digital learning in higher education at numerous professional conferences. Liz has served on numerous accreditation evaluation teams for the Middle States Commission on Higher Education and has held various board and committee positions with the Online Learning Consortium (OLC), which named her a fellow in 2015. She is a member of the IELOL 2010 cohort and served on the IELOL faculty in 2017 and 2019. Liz earned her EdD in Higher and Postsecondary Education from Teachers College, Columbia University; a Doctor of Chiropractic (DC) degree from the New York College for Health Professions, and a BS in Biology from the University of Scranton.

Maricel Lawrence (IELOL Alumni 2018; Faculty 2024)

Maricel Lawrence holds the position of Innovation Catalyst at Purdue Global, where she contributes to the development of the future of education and work. Having previously served as an executive director in higher education, she leads initiatives that explore alternative paradigms. Maricel’s expertise includes assembling and leading diverse teams to develop and implement innovative strategies, programs, and processes that seek global impact. Her educational qualifications include a bachelor’s degree in Spanish from Indiana University and a master’s degree in adult education and training from Colorado State University. She is presently working toward a Doctor of Education in Leadership & Innovation at Arizona State University and conducts research on integrating futures capacities within higher education institutions.

Mary Niemiec (Faculty Emcee 2022-2024)

Mary Niemiec served as the Associate Vice President for Digital Education and Director of University of Nebraska Online for 10 years until her retirement in 2021. She has worked in higher education, continuing, online and blended learning for more than 30 years. She has been on the Board of Directors for OLC for 8 years and served as President for two years. Mary was named an OLC Fellow in 2011.

Gloria Niles, Ph.D. (IELOL Alumni 2019; Faculty 2024)

Dr. Gloria Niles is the director of online learning for the University of Hawaiʻi System. Dr. Niles works collaboratively with officers, administrators, faculty, and instructional designers across all ten campuses and eight learning centers within the University of Hawai’i system to facilitate and guide online strategies and academic technologies. Dr. Niles has enjoyed a varied career in academia from the time she became a chiropractor and then added a degree in Organizational Management and later degrees in Online Teaching and Learning and a Ph.D. in Education with a focus on Special Education Leadership. In addition to a teaching career in Special Education and the training of educators in the UH West Oʻahu Education Division, Dr. Niles earlier served as Dean of Academic Affairs at Palmer College in Florida. In 2015, she brought all of this experience to her wide-ranging duties at UH West Oʻahu in both the Office of Distance Learning and the Office of Professional Development and Academic Support. The combination of experience and training in distance education modalities with practical experience in the classroom and as an administrator makes Dr. Niles uniquely qualified to serve the professional development and online learning needs of the faculty, staff, and students across the University of Hawai’i System. In addition to her work with the University of Hawai’i, Dr. Niles is actively involved in the profession serving as an accreditation peer reviewer for WSCUC, an IELOL alumnus, a member of the steering committee for the WICHE Cooperative for Educational Technologies (WCET), the Core Committee of the Professional and Organizational Development (POD) Network, and the NC-SARA Institution Advisory Committee.

Tina Parscal, Ph.D. (IELOL Faculty 2021-2024)

Dr. Tina Parscal, Ph.D. is the Associate Vice Chancellor for CCCOnline and Academic Affairs for the Colorado Community College System (CCCS). She serves as the system’s Chief Online Learning Officer responsible for developing and implementing a strategic vision that ensures the continuation of the Colorado Community College System (CCCS) as a nationally recognized consortium model for online and shared course teaching and learning. Additionally, she oversees system-wide academic technologies and online services and coordinates collaboration and communication among the colleges, CCCS, Colorado Online, and CCCOnline.

Dr. Parscal possesses broad higher education experience previously serving in such roles as a provost/chief academic officer, executive director, college dean, professor, and director. With over 20 years in higher education leadership, she has a breadth of leadership experience with online and distance learning, academic affairs, faculty development, enrollment services, and student affairs as well as extensive mentoring, teaching, and scholarship experience at the doctoral, master’s, undergraduate, and community college levels.

For her outstanding service and leadership in digital learning, she earned the Dick Jonsen & Mollie McGill Award from Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education, Cooperative for Education Technologies (WCET) in 2022.

Dr. Parscal received her B.A. in Psychology and Sociology from Regis University; Master of Social Sciences from the University of Colorado, Denver; and Ph.D. in Instructional Design for Online Learning from Capella University.

Jason Rhode, Ph.D. (IELOL Alumni 2012; IELOL Faculty 2019-2024)

Dr. Jason Rhode is Associate Vice Provost for Teaching, Learning, and Digital Education at Northern Illinois University (NIU). In his role he serves as chief online learning officer and provides direction for the Center for Innovative Teaching and Learning (CITL) and oversees university-wide digital learning. He also holds a joint faculty appointment as Associate Professor in the Department of Educational Technology, Research and Assessment.

With over 20 years of leadership experience in higher ed online education and faculty development, Dr. Rhode is a champion for academic excellence and student-centric, equity-minded approaches across the faculty development and digital learning functions that he leads. Most recently he’s led the reorganization and expansion of NIU’s online program development and support services and he enjoys sharing his breadth and depth of experience in developing the institutional online education enterprise and fostering change across the institution. Jason has published and presented widely and has received numerous accolades for his contributions to the field, most recently being named by the Online Learning Consortium to the 2023 class of OLC Fellows.

Jason holds a B.A. in Children’s Ministries from North Central University, M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction from Seattle Pacific University, and a Ph.D. in Instructional Design for Online Learning from Capella University,

Josh Herron (IELOL Alumni 2016, IELOL Co-Director 2024)

Josh Herron is the Director of Professional Learning for OLC. In this role, he guides the strategy and operations of OLC’s Center for Professional Learning. He has over fifteen years of higher education administrative and instructional experience. He has also published and presented widely on higher education practices, pedagogical research, and interdisciplinary scholarship. Josh holds a PhD in Rhetorics, Communication, and Information Design from Clemson University and an MA in English from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.

Katie Fife Schuster (IELOL Alumni 2020, IELOL Co-Director 2022-2024)

Katie Fife Schuster is the Director of Global Events for OLC. In this role, Katie provides direction and leadership for the logistics and planning of OLC symposiums, the IELOL program, and the IELOL Global program. Prior to her current role, Katie held the position of Director, Conferences & Events for OLC, where she worked in conjunction with the Senior Director, Conferences & Events, and the Conference Service Manager towards the achievement of OLC’s annual conferences. She has also been OLC’s Director of Online Learning and the Director of Publications. She has experience from her years in the publishing industry prior to joining OLC and holds a BA from Tufts University in anthropology and Spanish.

J. Garvey Pyke, Ed.D. (IELOL Alumni 2010, IELOL Co‑Director 2018, 2023-2024, Faculty 2019–2023)

Garvey Pyke is the Executive Director of the Center for Teaching and Learning in the School of Professional Studies at UNC Charlotte. He leads the Center in providing and supporting enterprise-level academic technologies and faculty professional development programs regarding high-quality instruction, scholarly teaching, and online and distance learning. He has served as the Chair of the University of North Carolina Faculty Developers Consortium, a statewide group for all seventeen member campuses of the UNC system, to build strategic partnerships among multiple campuses. In addition, he has served on the steering committee for OLC Innovate and as track chair for OLC Accelerate and has presented multiple times at these and other conferences.

As an educator for more than 20 years, Dr. Pyke enjoys collaborating with faculty members and staff to design and develop programs that impact faculty satisfaction and lead to student success. His work involves the practical application of research methods and instructional systems design methods to various instructional projects at the UNC Charlotte, and he is an affiliate member of the Graduate School and has taught at the university and K12 levels. He holds a doctorate in education in Instructional Systems Technology from Indiana University, a master’s degree in Educational Leadership from Pepperdine University, and a bachelor’s degree in English from Tulane University. He also completed the OLC Institute for Emerging Leadership in Online Learning (IELOL) in 2010 and the EDUCAUSE Learning Technology Leadership Institute in 2013.

Lynn Wahl (IELOL Alumni 2021, IELOL Co-Director 2023-2024)

Lynn leads the Course Production Team in UNC Charlotte’s Center for Teaching and Learning in the School of Professional studies in their work with faculty in the redesign and development of blended and online courses, the development and implementation of media and interactive learning objects, and quality assurance efforts and initiatives. Lynn is passionate about creating successful faculty and student learning experiences in online and blended learning and growing as a leader. Lynn received her M.Ed. in Instructional Technology from Idaho State University and M.A. and B.A. in English Literature from Southern Illinois University, Carbondale. With over 15 years of experience in higher education, Lynn is a two time OLC Best in Track award winner, frequent volunteer with OLC Accelerate, Innovate, and IELOL, a thought leader in instructional design, and is a graduate of the Online Learning Consortium’s Institute for Emerging Leadership in Online Learning.

Elisabeth Stucklen (IELOL Alumni 2020, OLC Instructional Designer)

Elisabeth Stucklen is an instructional designer in OLC’s Institute for Professional Development, where she provides support for the IELOL program and manages the OLC Institute’s Instructional Designer Certificate program and associated 4-week courses. Elisabeth has worked in online higher education and instructional design for over 18 years. Prior to joining OLC, she worked as the senior instructional designer at Mount Washington College 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 volunteers as a mentor in the Educause and Penn State ID2ID program for instructional designers.

Elisabeth holds a Master’s of Science in Instructional Design and Technology from Emporia State University, and a Bachelor of Science in Visual Communication Technology from Lesley University. She is also a proud graduate of the 2020 IELOL program!

Dylan Barth (IELOL Alumni 2017, IELOL Global Alumni 2022, IELOL Co-Director 2022-2023)

Dylan Barth is the Assistant Vice President (AVP) of Learning and a Co-Director of the Institute for Emerging Leadership in Online Learning (IELOL). Dylan provides strategic vision and oversight for professional development, 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.