UPCEA Central Region Speaker Bios
Lika Balenovich
Lika Balenovich is a communication coordinator for the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Educational Innovation Initiative, which aims to inspire students and enrich learning. She is also lead communicator for the university’s massive open online course efforts.
Steve Boldt
Steve Boldt assists academic departments at the University of Wisconsin-Madison with online program development and project management. He also leads the Division of Continuing Studies’ educational innovation online course design and development team.
Lavilla Capener
Continuing Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison advances the Wisconsin Idea through high-quality programs for lifelong learners. The integrated marketing team provides a full range of support for credit and noncredit courses, certificates, degree programs, and summer term. Lavilla Capener is responsible for organic and paid social media, blogging, writing, and editing.
Vickie Cook
Vickie Cook is the Director of the Center for Online Learning, Research and Service (COLRS) and Associate Research Professor in the College of Education at the University of Illinois Springfield.
Dr. Cook has been actively engaged providing consulting and faculty development with educational leaders across the U.S. and in Mexico. Her work has been published in a variety of national educational publications. She worked as part of a team that authored the UPCEA Hallmarks of Excellence.
Her current research agenda focuses on two areas. First, exploring mobile learning through a heutagogical lens and also the impact of a systems approach for online leadership. She teaches online in the Teaching English as a Second Language concentration of the Masters of Arts in Education program at University of Illinois Springfield.
Dr. Cook has served on several regional and national committees, as well as having been a long time member of Illinois Council on Continuing Higher Education (ICCHE) serving in multiple roles on the Executive Board and currently serves as President of the organization; a member of the University Professionals & Continuing Education Association (UPCEA); serves as a mentor for the Association for Continuing and Higher Education (ACHE); is a member of the Online Learning Consortium (OLC) and serves on program steering committees for the OLC Annual Conference and Midwest Collaborate conference.
Diane R. Dean
Diane R. Dean is Associate Professor for Higher Education Administration & Policy at Illinois State University. Her research applies organizational theory, social psychology, and policy analysis to address critical issues in college and university planning, policy and governance. Excellence and equity are themes cutting across her work.
Dr. Dean’s work has been supported by government agencies, nonprofit foundations, and education organizations, and has been published in numerous chapters, articles, and research papers. She is co-editor of
Women in Academe, a book series that examines gender issues facing students, faculty, and administrators in colleges and universities. Her most recent book,
Generation on a Tightrope: A Portrait of Today’s College Students (with Arthur Levine) examines the sociological changes in today’s generation of undergraduate college students, the forces shaping their experiences, and their implications for postsecondary education policy, institutional planning, classroom practices, and the co-curriculum.
Dr. Dean has received numerous honors, including a joint fellowship with the National Center for Education Statistics, the National Science Foundation, and the Association for Institutional Research; and an associate’s appointment with the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education.
She earned her bachelor’s degree in English Literature from the University of Maryland; and her master’s degree in higher education administration and her doctoral degree in organization & leadership from Columbia University. She also holds a certificate in higher education management from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.
Andrea Deau
Andrea Deau is currently the information technology director at University of Wisconsin-Extension Continuing Education, Outreach & E-Learning. Her focus is on growing an IT organization to support competency-based education (the UW Flexible Option) and creating the technology services and infrastructure to support online degrees for adult learners.
Steve Dunlop
As managing director, Steve Dunlop is responsible for the operations of Purdue NExT. He has also managed a variety of projects. He is an assistant professor (courtesy appointment) in Organizational Leadership and Supervision. He has taught courses on hybrid-electric vehicles, project management, major event planning, and training methods for adult learners.
Michael M. Eddy
Michael M. Eddy is assistant dean of Purdue Extended Campus. Eddy has administered Purdue distance learning throughout his 26-year career, including credit courses, degrees, and noncredit programs. He is a liaison for Deltak/Wiley, Purdue’s online program management partner. He also has provided leadership to the Indiana College Network and the Indiana Council for Continuing Education.
Jim Fong
Prior to joining UPCEA’s Center for Research and Consulting, Jim Fong worked as a higher education strategic marketing consultant and researcher for two firms. Before that, he was the director of marketing, research and planning for Penn State Outreach. As a consultant, Jim worked with over 100 different colleges and universities. While at Penn State, he was responsible for managing teams of marketing planners, competitive analysts, market researchers, and enrollment management staff. Jim continues to teach graduate and undergraduate marketing and research classes for Drexel University, Penn State University, Duquesne University, and Framingham State University. He holds an M.B.A., an M.S. in applied statistics, and a B.S. in mathematics, all from the University of Vermont.
Justin Fraase
Justin Fraase has more than eight years of marketing experience. Currently, he is marketing manager for the University of North Dakota. His experience includes social media, event planning, strategic planning and digital marketing (including SEO). Justin holds an M.B.A. and a bachelor’s degree in mass communication from North Dakota State University.
David Giroux
David Giroux provides overall leadership and strategic counsel for the UW-Madison Continuing Studies team. Continuing Studies advances the Wisconsin Idea through high-quality programs and services for lifelong learners. The integrated marketing team provides a full range of support for credit and noncredit courses, certificates, degree programs, and summer term at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Robert Hansen
Dr. Robert J. Hansen was named Chief Executive Officer of the University Professional & Continuing Education Association in September 2010. He previously served as Associate Provost for University Outreach at the University of Southern Maine, a regional public university serving 10,000 students. Prior to that position, he spent six years at Saint Xavier University of Chicago as Assistant to the President & Secretary of the Corporation, and then as founding Executive Director of Orland Park Campus & Off-Campus Programs. Hansen also previously served as an education policy aide in the administration of former Illinois governor, Jim Edgar.
Hansen earned a B.S. in Psychology from the University of Illinois, an M.A. in English Language and Literature from the University of Michigan, and a Ph.D. in English from the University of Notre Dame.
Amy Heitzman
Amy Heitzman serves as the Senior Vice President for Strategy and Chief Learning Officer for the University Professional & Continuing Education Association. Amy began her career in museum education, developing programs and training museum educators at various university art museums, as well as the Art Institute of Chicago and the Dallas Museum of Art. In 2002, after having served as Education Director for the Meadows Museum on the campus of Southern Methodist University, her interest in adult learners led her to the directorship of SMU’s Continuing Education unit. While at SMU, she earned graduate certificates in marketing and nonprofit leadership, as well as the M.Ed. Amy earned her doctorate in Higher Education Administration at The University of Texas at Austin in 2014. Her current research agenda is broad and involves examinations of nontraditional learners, the experiences of student veterans—particularly those of female student veterans, as well as comparative studies of international higher education systems.
Amy Johnson
Amy Johnson, developed and directs the online animal-assisted therapy certificate program, along with a course through Oakland University's honors college on the human-animal bond and animal-assisted interventions. Johnson is a practicing licensed counselor working with juveniles and is certified in trauma and loss.
Keri Johnson
Keri Johnson provides support and coordination for the summer term operations campus-wide at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She is also a part of the educational innovation initiative on campus.
Todd Karr
Todd Karr serves as the assistant director of University of Nebraska Online Worldwide. He currently leads NU’s regulatory compliance effort for online programs. In addition to online education, Karr has served in various capacities in international affairs. He is currently seeking his Ph.D. in educational studies.
Haley Kerkhoff
Haley Kerkhoff works as part of the Division of Continuing Studies educational innovation program development team (EIPD) at the University of Wisconsin-Madison where she assists in the creation of post-baccalaureate master’s degrees and capstone certificates and leads the quality review process for all EIPD online courses.
Laura Kite
Laura Kite is the assistant dean for student affairs for University of Wisconsin-Extension Continuing Education, Outreach and E-Learning. Her focus is on developing and delivering exceptional student services to support adult learners in the UW Flexible Option and other online degrees.
Alan Knox
Alan Knox’s career-long interest has been lifelong learning for adults, in all of its varieties, roles, and locations. He has followed this interest as a student, teacher, scholar and administrator at five universities. This includes serving as a continuing education administrator at Syracuse University; a faculty member and researcher at Nebraska and the Columbia Teachers College; and the associate vice chancellor for continuing education and public service at Illinois. For the past three decades, Dr. Knox has worked at the University of Wisconsin, focusing increasingly on international comparative analysis and faculty development for outreach in the helping professions, (the topic of his most recent book published by Stylus). Knox enjoys his active engagement and leadership in various countries and associations of practitioners and scholars in the field. Dr. Knox’s publications, include books on international comparative adult education, evaluation, and strategies for improving creative professional learning activities. He looks forward to continuing to explore ways to help practitioners and scholars enhance their effectiveness and broaden their knowledge base to help adults learn and improve.
Durwin Long
Dr. Durwin Long has been the director of continuing education at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire since 2012. He served as dean of adult education and training at North Hennepin Community College; assistant dean of executive and professional development at the University of Saint Thomas; and worked in corporate marketing.
Jason Maseberg-Tomlinson
Jason Maseberg-Tomlinson is director of the Kansas State University Global Campus student and faculty services office. His office has helped create an inviting, helpful atmosphere so both future and current students feel welcome to contact the office and stay connected with the university through their degree. His interest area consists of online enrollments of residential students. Over the next year, he will be interviewing students about their reasons for taking online courses as part of a residential program. Maseberg-Tomlinson is also doing research for a Ph.D.
George L. Mehaffy
George L. Mehaffy serves as the vice president for academic leadership and change at the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) in Washington, D.C., a higher education association representing 400 public colleges and universities and their 3.8 million students. His division is responsible for developing and managing programs for member institutions in areas such as organizational change, civic engagement, leadership development, undergraduate education, technology, international education, and teacher education. He works closely with university presidents and chief academic officers on a variety of national initiatives. Each year, his division organizes a number of conferences, including two national conferences each year for AASCU chief academic officers. Mehaffy has directed a series of innovative projects, including international programs with China and Liberia; a technology transformation annual conference with EDUCAUSE and the University of Central Florida; and two major national studies of student success. In 2003, he designed and launched the American Democracy Project, a civic engagement initiative involving 240 colleges and universities, in partnership with
The New York Times. In 2010, he created the Red Balloon Project, a national initiative to transform undergraduate education. The most recent Red Balloon initiative, Re-Imagining the First Year of College, will begin in January 2016 with 40 participating campuses. He came to AASCU with more than 20 years of teaching and administrative experience in higher education in Texas, New Mexico, and California. He also served for 33 years in the U.S. Coast Guard Reserve, retiring as a Captain in 2000.
Melissa Meyer
Melissa Meyer is a marketing strategist for the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Division of Continuing Studies. She assists with marketing strategy and comprehensive marketing plan development, and works with campus clients to identify strategic marketing objectives, build supporting tactical plans, and evaluate the ongoing success of marketing efforts.
Barry Orton
Dr. Barry Orton is director of senior learning (which includes supporting PLATO, UW-Madison's Learning In Retirement organization). He coordinates programs in digital media and workplace communication, and is a professor of telecommunications in the department of liberal arts and applied studies and the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Division of Continuing Studies.
Judee Richardson
Responsible for the UW Flex faculty-led academic development and related institutional policy, Judee Richardson has more than 20 years of experience in higher education, research methodology, social justice, environmental advocacy, and data-informed decision-making. Richardson has a Ph.D. in experimental psychology, a certificate in evaluation practice, and she is certified in restorative justice mediation.
Dean Robbins
Continuing Studies advances the Wisconsin Idea through high-quality programs for lifelong learners. The integrated marketing team provides a full range of support for credit and noncredit courses, certificates, degree programs, and summer term. A veteran reporter and editor, Dean Robbins is responsible for media relations, blogging, and social media.
Jeff Rosen
Jeff Rosen is vice president for accreditation relations and director of the Open Pathway at the Higher Learning Commission, the country’s largest regional accreditor of colleges and universities. He has helped to set policy and define the approval protocols used by the commission for direct assessment of competency-based education and has been involved in the assessment of alternate sources of credit, including prior learning assessments; certificates, badges, and MOOCs; and third-party providers. Prior to joining the commission, Dr. Rosen served as a research university dean of continuing and professional studies, a professor of art history at an open admissions art school, and as a community college trustee. He has been active in UPCEA for many years, serving as chair of the Leadership and Strategy Network, the Futures and Markets Commission, and the Frandson Book.
David Schejbal
David Schejbal is dean of Continuing Education, Outreach and E-Learning at the University of Wisconsin-Extension. The division works with all 26 campuses in the University of Wisconsin and with UW system administration to increase access to programs, classes, and degrees. Schejbal oversees a budget of $105 million, the Higher Education Location Program, Independent Learning, and an array of online and face-to-face credit and noncredit programs. Schejbal also initiated and now co-leads the UW Flexible Option. He writes and speaks broadly about the future of higher education and how social, economic, technological, and political forces will shape that future. In 2012, he was one of the founding members of C-BEN, The Competency-Based Education Network: A National Consortium for the Development of Higher Education Models. He currently serves on the steering committee of that group. Dr. Schejbal’s academic interests focus on issues of higher education, sustainability, and the environment. His academic background is in philosophy, and he received his doctorate from the University of Connecticut. He is the current president of the UPCEA and a member of the Council of Environmental Deans and Directors.
Ray Schroeder
The founding director of the Center for Online Leadership, Ray Schroeder, is widely recognized as one of the world’s leading experts in online education. As both a faculty member and administrator, Ray brings both deep knowledge of and a passion for advancing the field of online education—its potential to transform institutions struggling in the new economy, its role in expanding access for time- and distance-challenged students, and its capacity to revolutionize teaching and learning.
Ray has been engaged in online learning since 1997. He has built a very successful program with more than 20 online degree and certificate programs at the University of Illinois Springfield. Ray is well-known nationally as a leader in the field, annually delivering more than two dozen keynote addresses and invited conference presentation. He regularly publishes articles, book chapters, and the very popular daily Online Learning Update, Educational Technology and the Professional, Continuing, and Online Education Update blogs. Thousands of leaders and professionals in the field follow Ray’s blogs and tweets on a daily basis. Schroeder is the inaugural recipient of the prestigious A. Frank Mayadas Leadership Award and the 2012 Innovation Fellow for Digital Learning by the UPCEA. Most recently, he has founded the UPCEA Center for Online Leadership.
Laurie St. Aubin-Whelihan
Laurie St. Aubin-Whelihan is the digital marketing manager at University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire Continuing Education. Prior to joining CE as the unit’s first marketing manager, she was senior project manager for a continuing legal education company. She currently focuses on SEO, paid search, content, and lead generation and nurturing.
Mary Thompson
Mary Thompson is the director of educational development for the University of Wisconsin-Madison Division of Continuing Studies. She develops programming, competencies, and assessments for both credit and noncredit learners. She also works with Continuing Studies faculty and staff to build their course portfolios and to expand noncredit opportunities.
Christina Trombley
Christina Trombley is the interim dean for the Division of Outreach and Adult Access at University of Wisconsin-Green Bay. She previously served as the director of the adult degree program, also at UW-Green Bay. She has spent over 18 years in continuing and adult education where she has managed and administered cost-recovery programs. She has developed budgets, cash flow projections, breakeven ratios, and used many other financial tools for programs, departments, and divisions. She has an M.B.A. and is completing her Ph.D. in urban education at UW-Milwaukee.
