Dr. Stacie Austin is an artist, educator, and life-long learner. She is an Assistant Professor of Education at the University of Louisiana Monroe. Her years of teaching experience range from pre-k to graduate school, with multiple grades in between. Dr. Austin has taught in the self-contained general education setting, visual arts in elementary and middle school, undergraduate curriculum and instruction courses, and graduate level reading courses. In 2014, she was elected Louisiana Art Educator of the year. Her research interests include creative pedagogy, social emotional learning, and arts integration. Dr. Austin earned her Ed. D. in Curriculum and Instruction in 2019 from the University of Louisiana Monroe. Along with teaching in an academic setting, she is also a 225hr Registered Holy Yoga Instructor and enjoys implementing mindfulness practices in and out of the classroom. Dr. Austin is a member of the National Art Education Association and International Literacy Association and an active member of the Louisiana Educational Research association and Louisiana Art Education Association where she serves as the Youth Art Month Flag Chair.

Katie M. Barrow is an Assistant Professor of Human Development and Family Science in the School of Human Ecology at Louisiana Tech University where she is the current holder of the Robbie Auger Watson Endowed Professorship. She has ten years of teaching experience and, in addition to her doctoral training in Human Development, also holds two graduate certificates in teaching and pedagogy.

Prior to joining the faculty at Louisiana Tech, Katie served as Online Course Supervisor for the Department of Human Development at Virginia Tech. She has delivered presentations on the scholarship of teaching and learning at international and national meetings, including the European Conference on Education Research, National Conference on Family Relations (NCFR), National Council for the Social Studies Conference, and Conference on Higher Education Pedagogy. Katie is very active in NCFR, her professional organization, having recently served a two-year elected role as Student and New Professionals Representative tasked with coordinating professional development resources and workshops for emerging teachers and scholars. Currently, she is an appointed member of the NCFR Academic Program Review Committee where she evaluates undergraduate and graduate family science programs seeking accreditation. She is also a founding member of the NCFR Mentoring Academy and remains a member of the steering committee.

Katie is honored anytime she receives recognition for doing what she loves. She is the proud recipient of six teaching and mentoring awards, and her dedication to creativity and accessibility in the classroom has earned her two grant awards for innovative instruction.

Ms. Mallory Benedetto is the Coordinator for the Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) and a Biology instructor at the University of Louisiana Monroe. She is also a student in the Doctor of Education (EdD) in Educational Leadership program at Louisiana Tech University. She has a B.S. in Neuroscience and an M.S. in Pharmacology, both from Tulane University. In her role as the QEP Coordinator, Ms. Benedetto uses active learning and metacognitive strategies to improve performance and critical thinking skills for students enrolled in introductory level Biology courses. She has interests in how students learn, instructional design that encourages critical thinking, and facilitation of deep learning for students. As part of her research work and classwork in the EdD program, she also has interests in administrative encouragement of faculty participation, positive perception, and inclusion in institutional effectiveness activities such as the QEP. Ms. Benedetto enjoys the stimulating environment of higher education and is hopeful about the opportunities ahead for the University of Louisiana System!

Dr. Eboni M. Brown is an Assistant Professor in the Curriculum and Instruction Department in the College of Education at University of Louisiana at Lafayette where she has served as a faculty member since 2019. Dr. Brown completed her Ed.D, at the University of Louisiana at Monroe. She also received her Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education in 2007 and her Master of Educational Leadership in 2009 at the University of Louisiana at Monroe. Her research interest lies in the areas of diversifying pre-service teachers and Reading and Language Arts skills for elementary teachers. Prior to Dr. Brown’s position as an Assistant Professor, she was an educator serving grades 2nd-8th for 12 years. As an educator she provided services throughout Louisiana in Monroe City Schools, East Baton Rough Parish, and Lafayette Parish. Within these parishes, some of her positions include: teacher, gifted teacher, curriculum coordinator, and interventionist. Dr. Brown currently teaches Language Arts for Elementary Teachers and Reading Practicum courses. She also is a supervisor for elementary interns. Dr. Brown can be reached by email. Her email address is [email protected]

Dr. Anne Case Hanks is an associate professor of atmospheric sciences; atmospheric sciences coordinator; and associate director of the School of Sciences at the University of Louisiana Monroe.

Her academic focus is atmospheric chemistry and climate change.

Anne earned a Bachelor’s of Science degree from the University of Toledo, and a Master’s of Science degree and a Ph.D. from the Georgia Institute of Technology.

Christopher Coleman has served as an information and instructional technology professional at Louisiana Tech University for the past 13 years. With experience in everything ranging from classroom audio/video to virtualized information technology infrastructure, he has a wide range of experience in using technology to support instruction. Among his many responsibilities at Louisiana Tech, Chris is the primary administrator of the institution’s virtual learning environment that uses Moodle as its core and integrates with services such as Intelliboard, Mediasite, Respondus, Turnitin, and Zoom. A techie by nature, he has an undergraduate degree in Computer Science, a Master’s in Information Security and Assurance, and is completing his Ph.D. in Learning Technologies. He serves Bridging the Divide as Technical Lead, responsible for administration of the Moodle environment, and as a session facilitator.

Dr. Jessica Dolecheck earned her MS in Occupational Therapy at Texas Woman’s University and her Ph.D. in Occupational Therapy from Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale. She has 25 years of experience in higher education including program administration, teaching and designing undergraduate/graduate f2f/online courses at the University of Louisiana Monroe (ULM). Dr. Dolecheck is the Program Coordinator for Health Studies and was instrumental in designing and implementing this innovative Bachelor of Science degree in Health Studies both on-campus and online. She also designed and implemented an online doctorate concentration in Health Professions Education (HPRE) within the Curriculum and Instruction EdD Program and served as a major professor for several (HPRE) dissertations committees. She is certified as a Quality Matters Reviewer for online courses and has evaluated approximately 200 online courses over the past 5 years.  Dr. Dolecheck was a member of the recent Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) planning committee at ULM and was strategically involved in developing the next 5-year QEP plan that will have significant impact on student success at ULM. Her research interests include 21st century skills, appreciative advising, faculty mentoring, teaching pedagogy and evidence-based practice. Dr. Dolecheck has published and made international presentations and numerous regional/ national professional presentations on preparing students for the workforce in the 21st century.

Ahmad Fayed is an Assistant Professor of Engineering Technology, an online instructional mentor, a member of the Experiential Learning team, and a former member of the Teaching Excellence Team at Southeastern. Ahmad completed his Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering at University of Nevada Las Vegas (UNLV) and taught engineering classes at multiple schools including Al-Azhar University, King Saud University, University of Nevada Las Vegas (UNLV), University of Nevada Reno (UNR) and Purdue University Northwest (PNW). Ahmad taught classes in different settings of instructions including online, blended, flipped, and technology-assisted classes. To increase student success, facilitate the instructions, enhance the level of engagement, assess student performance and evaluate his own teaching methods, Ahmad has been using innovative teaching approaches and utilizing several in-class activities and technology tools. Among the tools he has been using for in-class instant assessment and feedback, offline class interactions, and grading are iClickers2, REEF, TopHat, Plickers, Kahoot, self-paced interactive PowerPoints, AnswerGarden, Piazza, CATME, OfficeMix, Mentimeter, and Gradescope.  At multiple national conferences, Ahmad offered presentations and workshops in using technology in classrooms to enhance student engagement, and facilitate assessment and grading. He enjoys interactive teaching and is constantly exploring and using new teaching styles and technology tools to make the knowledge transfer process as smooth as possible. His unique teaching approaches are always recognized by his students and colleagues and have resulted in 3 Outstanding Teaching awards. His research interests include Engineering Education, Computer Vision, Robotics, Active Vibration Control and Optimization.

Lisa Flanders-Dick is an edtech guru with a passion for teaching, integrating technology and STEM, training educators, and developing curriculum.  With over 20 years as an educator, her experience has expanded from that of a teacher to also include many opportunities outside of the classroom from project coordinator to staff developer to educational consultant. Lisa is currently a professional in residence in the College of Education at Louisiana Tech University where she teaches undergraduate courses, coordinates the Hub, and works on her doctorate in educational leadership. Much of her time is spent helping others with the integration of technology while addressing best practices in education.

Kandace Formaggio serves as a Senior Academic Advisor and Freshman Success instructor for the Center for Student Excellence at Southeastern Louisiana University. Prior to joining the CSE in 2015, Kandace was the Transfer Admissions Counselor in the Southeastern Office of Admissions where she started her career right after undergrad. She is a two-time Southeastern graduate having earned a BA in Communication and an MBA in Business Administration. This fall, Kandace will begin doctoral study in Educational Leadership and Research, concentrating in Higher Education Administration at Louisiana State University.

Jessica Griggs serves as the Student Advocate and Retention Coordinator for ULM Online. She graduated from ULM with a B.A. in Psychology in 2013 and a M.Ed. in Educational Technology Leadership in 2018. She has been employed with ULM Online since 2013 and with ULM since 2008.
As the Student Advocate and Retention Coordinator for ULM Online, she serves as a liaison for our students at a distance. It is her job to find solutions to any issues that students may encounter during their academic journey. She works alongside instructors and advisors to ensure that ULM Online students have the tools and support needed to succeed and reach their goal of graduation.
Jessica also teaches the online University Seminar course for students who are just beginning their degree program. This course helps students navigate the world of online learning at ULM as well as teaches them how to interact with peers in the online program setting. It is her goal to promote a sense of community among online students so they feel that they are a part of the Warhawk family.
When not busy with work or teaching, she volunteers with PAWS of NELA where she serves on the Pet Parade Board and helps with fund raising events throughout the year to raise money for the low cost spay and neuter program.

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Mrs. Rebecca Hamm is an assistant professor in the Radiologic Technology Department at the University of Louisiana Monroe (ULM) and a Diagnostic Radiographer and CT Technologist at Saint Francis Medical Center in Monroe. Mrs. Hamm graduated from ULM with her Bachelors of Science in Radiologic Technology in 2013 and her Masters of Education in Leadership and Instructional Technology in 2014. Mrs. Hamm has worked for ULM for 5 years and Saint Francis Medical Center in Monroe for 7 years. She is well versed in using technology in both the diagnostic medical and classroom settings. Although Radiologic Technology education is primarily a tactile learning experience, Mrs. Hamm has implemented several interactive methods to her traditional courses especially with the recent shift to online learning in the Spring 2020 semester. She enjoys creating new ways of engaging students to prepare technologists for real world scenarios and critical thinking situations.

Dr. Milisha Hart-Simmons has been an assistant professor of mathematics at Grambling State University since FALL 2018. She completed a Doctor of Philosophy degree (2017) in Mathematics and a Master of Science degree (2014) in Mathematics at the University of Mississippi. She earned both a Master of Science in Teaching (2003) in Mathematics and a Bachelor of Science degree (2001) in Mathematics from Jackson State University. Her work experience includes serving as a high school mathematics teacher at Raymond High School in Mississippi, serving as a mathematics adjunct instructor at Hinds Community College in Mississippi, and a mathematics instructor at Jackson State University in Mississippi. Dr. Hart-Simmons has taught developmental mathematics, working closely with students on improving their mathematics skills. She has successfully infused into mathematics courses technology that provides students with immediate feedback and guidance related to problem solving. In support of delivering quality online courses, Dr. Hart-Simmons in 2018 received certificates of completion for Designing Your Online Course (DYOC) and Applying the Quality Matters Rubric (APPQMR).

Tasha Heard serves as the Interim Director for Title III Programs at Grambling State University. Prior to her current position, she was the Director of Retention and instructor for First Year Experience. Mrs. Heard has been employed by GSU over 13 years. During her tenure, she has served in various capacities. She holds a Master’s degree in Public Administration with a concentration in Public Management. Mrs. Heard is married to Shalen Heard of 15 years and they share two beautiful children, Shalen and Kennedi Heard. In her spare time she enjoys crafting.

Dustin Hebert is chair of the Department of Curriculum, Instruction, and Leadership at Louisiana Tech University. His academic discipline is educational technology, and he has worked in the discipline as a faculty member, program coordinator, and director at four Louisiana universities. He has designed and delivered face-to-face and virtual courses and professional development and presented and published research on topics including digital learning, online instructional design, online learning pedagogy, digital change and innovation, and technology leadership.

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Mr. Ruben Henderson is an Associate Director of Undergraduate Admissions and Recruitment at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. He received his undergraduate degree in Marketing and Legal Studies and his Master of Business Administration from the B.I. Moody III College of Business at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. Ruben is the advisor of the Black Male Leadership Association and is a proud member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Incorporated. Ruben serves on the Board of Directors for Miles Perret Cancer Services, the Lafayette Education Foundation and the Hilliard Art Museum. He is a graduate of Leadership Lafayette Class XXIX (29). He also serves as the President Elect for the Black Faculty Staff Association and the Vice President for the Christiana Smith African-American Alumni Chapter. His achievements include the 2019 Carreathers-Scott Innovative Advisor Award at the Southwestern Black Student Leadership Conference, 2019 Tribute to Excellence Award with the National Association of University Women, 2019 Southwest Champion of Service Award with Volunteer Louisiana, 2019 Sunbelt Conference Faculty of the Year Award and the 2019 Outstanding Graduate and Professional Student Award with the Louisiana Association of College and University Student Personnel Administrators. Ruben was recently selected to serve as the Grand Marshal for the 2020 Lafayette Mardi Gras Festival Parade. This was the first formally organized African American Mardi Gras krewe in the city. His professional experience includes serving as an Assistant Director in the Office of Student Engagement and Leadership, Assistant Director of Marketing and Leadership in the Office of the Student Union and Enrollment Counselor for the Office of Undergraduate Admissions and Recruitment.

Leigh Nanney Hersey is an Assistant Professor of Political Science and the MPA Coordinator at the University of Louisiana Monroe. Before joining academia, Dr. Hersey worked in the nonprofit sector for about a dozen years, primarily in Arizona. Her teaching and research focus on civic engagement, nonprofit management, and community development. She regularly incorporates service-learning and applied, community-based projects into her courses. Dr. Hersey has been the recipient of the Learning by Giving Foundation Student Philanthropy grant since 2011. With this grant she enables her students to give much needed funding to local nonprofit organizations through a grant making process. She has presented this work at several conferences, including the Engagement Scholarship Consortium (2019), the Conference for the Society of Teaching and Learning (2016), and the Southeastern Conference on Public Administration (2015). Dr. Hersey is continuing to explore ways to bring the service-learning component to online courses. She presented her initial work on this topic at the Engagement Scholarship Consortium in 2018. Dr. Hersey was named the Francesca & CO Oakley, Jr. Endowed Professor in Academic Innovation for 2018 – 2021. Through her professorship, she is able to expand engaged learning opportunities for her students. Dr. Hersey identifies opportunities by staying connected to her community. She has been on the board of the Children’s Coalition for Northeast Louisiana since 2018. She also provides leadership development training through the Delta Regional Authority.

Eric van Holm is an Assistant Professor in the Political Science Department and a Research Associate at the Urban Entrepreneurship and Policy Institute. Van Holm received his PhD in Public Policy from Georgia State University and the Georgia Institute of Technology. Prior to joining the University of New Orleans, he worked as a postdoctoral researcher for the Center in Science, Technology, and Environmental Policy Studies at Arizona State University. His research focuses on economic development, particularly as it relates to entrepreneurship and urban change in small and midsized cities. His research on civic engagement, gentrification, and economic development has been published in numerous peer-reviewed journals, including The American Review of Public Administration, Urban Affairs Review, Cities, Economic Development Quarterly, and Urban Studies. Recently, Eric has taught courses on research methods with the goal of increasing student engagement with data analysis. In Fall 2019 he published an open source textbook online covering the basics of research methodology using R software.

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Tiffany Jackson has over 20 years of teaching experience in PK-12 and post-secondary schools and holds a Bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Elementary Education and a Master’s degree in Educational Leadership. She is currently an instructor and the assessment coordinator for the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at Grambling State University where she is pursuing a Doctorate of Education.  She previously served as the Coordinator of the Master of Arts in Teaching and Secondary programs and an instructor of Curriculum and Instruction in the School of Education at the University of Louisiana at Monroe.  Tiffany joined the university’s faculty in 2011 as the Professional Development Coordinator of the Master of Arts in Teaching program.  In 2015, she was named as Project Director of the program’s newly funded, multi-million dollar Transition to Teaching grant which she co-authored. In 2013, Tiffany was awarded the Best Practices Award for Excellence in Education by Generation Ready for her work in creating Just in Time Professional Learning (JiTPL), a hybrid teacher learning and support model that connected teacher interns to resources and mentors using Web 2.0 and 3.0 tools.  Additionally, she has had the opportunity to share her expertise nationally and internationally.  Most notably, she was invited to present a breakout session on professional learning at Jim Knight’s Annual Teaching, Learning, and Coaching Conference.  Her international presentations on teacher mentoring and reciprocal reading instruction have been published in the Hawaiian International Conference on Education proceedings.

Janet Jones is an Associate Professor at Southeastern Louisiana University. She has been with the university for 10 years and has taught online courses at the doctorate, masters, and undergraduate levels. She has developed nine online courses that were certified using Quality Matters at Southeastern. Her focus is adult nursing and research. She coordinates the Doctor of Nursing Practice synthesis projects. She originally received an ADN from El Centro Junior College in Dallas, Texas in 1977. Two years later she obtained a BSN from the University of Texas. In 1986 she received a MN as a Clinical Nurse Specialist from Louisiana State University Medical Center (LSUMC). She also earned a Doctor of Nursing Science degree from LSUMC in 2004. In 2019 she was selected as a member of the Teaching Excellence Team at Southeastern. She has used guided Journal Clubs to teach research principles at the graduate and undergraduate levels in face to face and online courses. Previously she has conducted podium and poster presentations on the topic of Journal Clubs as a teaching strategy.

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Dr. Charles R. King is a native of Pineville, Louisiana. He received his Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Northwestern State University in Natchitoches, Louisiana, his Master of Science in Health Care Administration from Central Michigan University in Mt. Pleasant, Michigan, and his Doctor of Philosophy in Marriage and Family Therapy from the University of Louisiana at Monroe, in Monroe, Louisiana.

Dr. Charles R. King’s work history consists of twenty-five years of service in the addictive behavior treatment field. Dr. King is certified through the International Certification and Reciprocity Consortium for Substance Abuse (IC&RC) and is currently licensed by the Louisiana Addictive Disorder Regulatory Authority (ADRA) in Addiction. He currently serves as an assistant professor of psychology and addiction studies at Northwestern State University in Natchitoches, LA.  Dr. King is also the founder of First Choice Addiction Center where he specializes in the treatment of prenatal and postnatal substance users. Prenatal substance use is a critical public health concern that is linked with several harmful maternal and fetal consequences. Prenatal substance abuse can cause significant developmental and cognitive delays especially if untreated and undiscovered.  Dr. King identifies the wide spectrum of physical and developmental challenges for infants along with the importance of coordinated services and early intervention for pregnant women with substance use disorder to enhance optimal bonding, health, and well-being.

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Dr. Manyu Li is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Psychology at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette and is a certified online teacher.  She has received awards on educational materials design from the American Psychological Association and the Society of the Teaching of Psychology.  She teaches social and personality psychology, as well as graduate-level statistics.  Her primary research focuses on inter-group relations, place attachment, and sense of belonging and community.  She applies her research on issues such as prejudice, students’ motivation, engagement, and sense of belongingness in schools and instructional design. 

Dr. Glenn V. Lo has a Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry from Kansas State University and has been teaching at Nicholls State University since 1995.  He has been an active participant in NSF-supported projects (Calibrated Peer Review, Physical Chemistry Online, New Traditions – Mathcad in the Physical Chemistry Curriculum) as well as state-funded projects (LaCEPT, LaSIP) to improve science education.  From 1998 until 2008, Dr. Lo managed the chem.nicholls.edu server which hosted an online homework system which was used by thousands of high school and college Chemistry students worldwide; the system is now hosted externally and is accessible at i-assign.com. In 2008, his online CHEM 101 course, hosted on Blackboard at Nicholls, was the first course at Nicholls to be recognized as meeting the expectations for the 14 essential standards of Quality Matters.  Since Nicholls adopted Moodle as its official LMS, Dr. Lo has focused on porting the questions from i-assign to a Moodle question bank and has been continually adding to the database.   Dr. Lo has developed a VBA-enabled Excel template that greatly facilitates generation of multiple versions of questions for import into Moodle in XML format.  Dr. Lo maintains a YouTube channel of instructional videos (Physical Chemistry and General Chemistry lectures as well as numerous short Chem Q&A Videos which were funded by the Louisiana Distance Education Initiative).  These and the Moodle question banks have made it possible for these courses to be taught in flipped format and made the transition to online seamless during the CoVID-19 pandemic.

Megan Lowe has worked in the state of Louisiana since 2003 and has worked in academic libraries in one capacity or another since 1997. Currently, she serves as the Director of the Library and an associate professor at the University of Louisiana at Monroe, where she started as a reference/instruction librarian. Mrs. Lowe possesses two Master’s degrees and is currently working on a Doctorate of Education in Higher Education Administration. She founded and serves as the editor of the open access peer-reviewed journal Codex: The Journal of the Louisiana Chapter of the ACRL. She also serves several other journals in an either a peer-review or editorial board capacity. Mrs. Lowe is the Chair-Elect of the Executive Board of LOUIS: The Louisiana Library Network and works with several other library-focused organizations in the state. She has published research on a variety of topics including faculty-librarian relations; deselection; the emotional dimensions of academic librarianship; and emotional intelligence. Her first book, Examining the Emotional Dimensions of Academic Librarianship: Emerging Research and Opportunities, co-authored with Lindsey Reno from UNO, came out in 2017. A firm believer in the importance of professional development, Mrs. Lowe frequently participates in such opportunities and is excited to contribute to “Bridging the Divide.” On a more personal note, Mrs. Lowe lives with her husband Eric and four cats in Monroe. The Lowes enjoy traveling, attending music festivals and concerts (especially heavy metal), documentaries, and reading (what would you expect of the children of schoolteachers?).

Dr. Liangyue Lu is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Educational Leadership at Grambling State University. Her research interests include designing technology-enhanced, student-centered, project-based learning environments and integrating digital tools to effectively enhance teaching and learning. Her publications include Using Live Dual Modeling to help preservice teachers develop TPACK, Learning by design: TPACK in action, and Cultivating reflective practitioners in technology preparation: Constructing TPACK through reflection. Her current project is titled Making graduate courses more affordable through open educational resources. She earned the BA and MA in education from Central China Normal University, and the Ph.D. degree in instructional design from Syracuse University.

Dr. Taniecea A. Mallery serves as the Executive Director of Strategic Initiatives and Chief Diversity Officer at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. In this role, she is responsible for fostering diversity, equity and inclusion among students, faculty and staff, as well as ensuring that underrepresented groups have equal access to educational opportunities and resources. She is a member of the graduate faculty, teaching doctoral-level courses in the College of Education.

Prior to joining UL Lafayette, Dr. Mallery worked as a senior diversity research specialist at the Association of American Medical Colleges in Washington, D.C., and she completed a postdoctoral research fellowship at the U.S. Census Bureau. Her recent publications include national policy reports on diversity in the U.S. physician workforce, studies on the influence of medical school curriculum on where physicians choose to practice, and research on the impact of social influence on faculty advancement, promotion and tenure.

Dr. Mallery earned a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Loyola University New Orleans, as well as a master’s degree and Ph.D. in applied and computational mathematics from Princeton University. In 2016-2017, she completed the Chief Diversity Officer Fellows Program sponsored by the National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education. She is a member of the 2018 class of the Institute for Educational Management at the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

In the local community, Dr. Mallery serves as Incoming Chair of the Board of Directors for Leadership Institute of Acadiana and Vice President of Fund Development on the Board of Directors for Lafayette Education Foundation. She also serves on the Boards of Directors for the United Way of Acadiana, the Louisiana Budget Project, and the Ernest J. Gaines Center at UL Lafayette.

Bill McCown, PhD, is a Professor of Psychology at the University of Louisiana at Monroe.  Bill began college teaching in the 1980s before the internet and when personal computers were a bit of a novelty. He has taught online for more than 15 years, both at the undergraduate and graduate levels.   He currently teaches face-to-face, hybrid, and online classes, both smaller and large sections. He has a commitment to finding technology and best practices to continuously improve teaching diverse students. Bill also has a strong interest in using Open Education Resources, where possible, to make college more affordable. Bill is also a Louisiana Licensed Clinical Psychologist, the Program Coordinator of the Psychology Department, and Associate Dean for Research in the College of Business and Social Sciences at University of Louisiana at Monroe. His research interests are in reducing procrastination, impulsivity, and task avoidance and in preventing and treating attention problems. He has coauthored eight books and over two hundred research articles and professional presentations.

Cindy McGuire currently serves as the Director of Grants and Planning for the College of Nursing and School of Allied Health and Associate Professor of Radiologic Sciences at Northwestern State University. Her journey in healthcare began in the Air Force in 1996. Cindy’s experience includes serving as the Center Director for an imaging clinic, high school science teacher, and Research Coordinator for the University of North Texas Health Science Center. In 2000, Cindy received the Joint Service Achievement Medal from the Department of Defense for her work in diagnostic imaging while stationed in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. She is currently a doctoral candidate in Organizational Leadership, and her research is focused on the impact of emotional intelligence on resilience and work performance.

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Jerry L. Parker, Ed.D is an instructor of French and Spanish in the Department of World Languages and Cultures at Southeastern Louisiana University (Hammond, La). He also serves as the department’s Undergraduate Program Coordinator and the Director of the Foreign Language Resource Center. He teaches courses at all levels in French, Spanish, and Foreign Language Education. His research expertise includes Curriculum Leadership, Instructional Leadership, Foreign Language Education, Multicultural Education, Caribbean Studies, and Louisiana Studies. His current research agenda focuses on the intersection of multicultural education and foreign language education and the most effective curriculum and instructional practices for ensuring the educational success of diverse groups of learners.

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Jacinta R. Saffold is an Assistant Professor of English at the University of New Orleans. She researches 20th and 21st century African American literature, Hip Hop Studies, and the Digital Humanities. Currently, she is working on her first manuscript, Books & Beats: The Cultural Kinship of Street Lit and Hip Hop and the Essence Book Project, a computational collection of popular African American Literature. Saffold has extensive experience as a scholar-administrator with emphases on enrollment management, inclusive diversity, and student success. Ultimately, she is committed to widening access for minority students and shifting the culture in higher education to be more inclusive through a prism of African American literature and culture.

My name is Pavel Samsonov. I have been teaching classes of educational technology (both graduate and undergraduate) since August 2001. Every semester I have taught at least one online and several hybrid classes (sections). I have a Master’s and a Ph.D. from Texas A&M University (2001). The topic of my Ph.D. dissertation is within the filed of distance learning.  I have received University of Louisiana at Lafayette Online Course Designer Award (2019), University of Louisiana at Lafayette Course Evaluator Award (2016), University of Louisiana at Lafayette Online Teacher Award (2016). In 2018 As a Fulbright Specialist I conducted a series of seminars on online course design at the North Arctic Federal University in Arkhangelsk, Russia.

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Mary Edith Stacy is currently an Assistant Professor in the School of Business at Northwestern State University. Prior to this position, she was in Instructor in the Department of Psychology. Over the course of 18 years, she served in the following University administrative positions:  Coordinator of University Scholarships, Director of Auxiliary Services and Director of Enrollment Management. Mary Edith received her B.S. in Accounting and M.Ed. in Sports Administration from Northwestern State University and her Ph.D. from Louisiana State University. Teaching Statistics, Personal Finance and Operations Management are just some of the courses she has passion about teaching.  The incorporation of tools such as Microsoft Excel, Word, Power Point and Stream are prevalent in her instructional strategies to prepare students for the world of work.

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Dr. Cynthia Vavasseur is an associate professor at Nicholls State University specializing in educational technology.  She is program chair of the Master’s degree of Educational Leadership with an emphasis in Educational Technology.  She is an International Society of Technology in Education (ISTE) certified educator and Orleans Pitre endowed professor.

Janeal White is the Internship Coordinator and Visiting Lecturer for McNeese State University’s Family Science program.  She is a Certified Family Life Educator and has conducted research on homelessness, resilience, and dignity for more than 15 years.  As an educator, Janeal works to equip students to become professionals who strengthen families through education, service, and advocacy.  For more than 25 years, Janeal worked for non-profit organizations before returning to academia as an educator and doctoral student.  Her passion for understanding the conditions in society that contribute to homelessness led her to explore poverty’s impact on educational attainment. As a result, Janeal has embraced a paradigm of constructivism and andragogy and specializes in creating dynamic online learning experiences for first generation and non-traditional students.  Janeal is a Microsoft Innovative Educator and Wakelet Ambassador.  She currently sits on the Digital Scholarship Board for the Journal of Family Theory and Review and has been an LSU Digital Pedagogy Fellow.  Janeal has certifications in online teaching and instructional design from the Online Learning Consortium and is currently working on Creative Commons Certification. She has a master’s degree in Family and Consumer Sciences from Lamar University and is a doctoral student at the Louisiana State University School of Social Work. Janeal is originally from Texas and resides with her husband, son, and three rescue furbabies including her precious purple pit bull, Lucky.  She believes that she is going to change the world one student at a time…and she’ll teach us how we can, too!

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Jonathan returned to the University of Louisiana at Monroe after teaching secondary mathematics at Tallulah Charter School in a brick-and-mortar/online hybrid school being managed by University View Academy. Experiencing the blessing and struggle of bridging the digital divide in a smaller scale gave a unique perspective for his role today of being a technology liaison to faculty and assisting in student support. In his prior service at ULM, Jonathan was a Programmer/Analyst for ULM Online (then eULM) as well as providing reporting and programming services for the University’s Student Information System, Banner. He was a key person in the onboarding of CRM Recruit for the admissions process and administrative support for the Perceptive Content (formerly ImageNow) document imaging system. Jonathan received his bachelor’s degree in religious education with a minor in web design and multimedia from Louisiana College in Pineville, Louisiana. He then went on to earn a master’s in Christian education from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. Jonathan then earned a master’s in teaching from the University of Louisiana at Monroe while completing alternate route teacher certification in secondary mathematics.  Besides education and information technology, Jonathan is also a licensed Southern Baptist minister. Teaching and technology are a “tent making” profession that allow him the freedom to serve local community needs. Jonathan also enjoys running ultramarathons (anything over 26.2 miles) as a recreational hobby and has earned two 100-mile race finishes.

Melissa Kiper, a West Monroe, LA native, currently serves as the Director of Alumni Affairs at the University of Louisiana Monroe, but is transitioning to the role of Instructor of Marketing and will begin teaching in fall 2020. She is a graduate of West Monroe High School, earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Marketing and a teaching certificate from Louisiana Tech University in Ruston, LA. She earned her Master’s in Business Administration and Master’s +30 in Education from ULM in Monroe, LA. She has 11 years of teaching experience in GED/alternative education, LEAP and EOC remediation, middle and high school, technical college, and at the collegiate level ranging from professional development skills, career education, business computer applications, graphic design, photo journalism, yearbook, human resource management, small business management, and university seminar.Melissa is a strong advocate for her community. She served as President of the Junior League of Monroe and is currently on the Board of Directors as Advisor to the 2020-2021 President. She is on the Board of Directors for ULM’s Women’s Symposium, West Monroe High School Alumni and Friends, and Northeast Louisiana Arts Council. She also serves on a committee for fundraising efforts for the Center for Children & Families. She has been recognized as a NELA Top 20 under 40 Young Professional, DeltaStyle Magazine’s Women Educators that Shape the Delta, 2nd Runner Up for Louisiana Delta Ballet’s Dancing with the Louisiana Stars, Top 5 for the Twin City Ballet’s Twin City Lip Sync Battle and is currently participating in the Leadership Ouachita program.