Meet the Speakers

2025 Speakers

Devon Cadwell Bazata

Dr. Devon Cadwell Bazata is an Associate Lecturer in Interdisciplinary Studies at the University of Central Florida (UCF), teaching leadership, interdisciplinary studies, and communication. A recipient of UCF's 2023 Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching Award, she champions innovative pedagogical approaches and faculty development initiatives. As a United Nations Open Pedagogy Faculty Fellow, Dr. Cadwell Bazata develops accessible open educational resources that integrate sustainability challenges into higher education across the disciplines, preparing students for future careers while addressing real-world problems.

Kevin Corcoran

Kevin Corcoran is the Assistant Vice Provost of the Center for Distributed Learning. Kevin has over 25 years of experience in the development and support of strategies for the effective use of digital learning tools and content that focuses on quality standards and practices, student engagement, accessibility and affordability. Kevin has supported system, state, and national open education efforts over the past decade, including chairing the statewide Connecticut OER Coordinating Council and the DOERS3 collaborative.

Lily Dubach

Lily Dubach, Textbook Affordability Librarian at the University of Central Florida, collaborates across campus to promote and transition course content to affordable options such as open educational resources and library-sources eBooks, in conjunction with statewide and national affordability initiatives, she provide library leadership on projects supporting student success. Lily is also the subject librarian for the School of Communication Sciences & Disorders. Her research interests include leveraging technology, such as artificial intelligence tools, for discovering or enhancing open educational resources, as well as analyzing student outcomes and perceptions of open or library-sources material course adoptions. Lily is the 2024 recipient of the Excellent in Librarianship Award which recognizes outstanding contributions and support given to the university's faculty and students.

Abbey Elder

Abbey Elder is the Open Access & Scholarly Communication Librarian at Iowa State University. In this role, she supports scholars who are interested in sharing their work, from articles and book chapters to textbooks and conference presentations. Abbey manages Iowa State University's Open Education program, collaborates with the ISU Digital Press, and helps authors who are interested in exploring options for publishing their work openly. In addition to their role at ISU, Abbey also serves as the Statewide Open Education Coordinator for the Iowa Open Education Action Team, where she collaborates with colleagues across Iowa to advance the use of open educational resources.

Jeff Gallant

Jeff Gallant is the Program Director of Affordable Learning Georgia, an initiative of the University System of Georgia (USG) intended to promote student success and foster educational equity through supporting the adoption, adaptation, and creation of affordable and open educational resources by USG faculty and professional staff. Jeff regularly consults with new open education programs and presents on program management, strategic planning, grant programs, data analytics, and reporting.

James Glapa-Grossklag

James Glapa-Grossklag is Dean, Educational Technology, Learning Resources, and Distance Learning at College of the Canyons. He serves as Technical Assistance Provider for the California Community Colleges' Zero Textbook Cost Degree Program, the largest-ever public investment in OER. He is past President of Open Education Global, the Community College Consortium for Open Educational Resources, and Directors of Educational Technology in California Higher Education. James is currently OER Fellow for the Michelson 20MM Foundation and a faculty member in the AAC&U Institute on OER. Most recently, he is co-leading with Carnegie Mellon University, development of a national training program to help faculty from broad-access institutions learn to teach with generative AI.

Shinta Hernandez

Shinta Hernandez, Ph.D. is the inaugural Dean of MC Online and Academic Support at Montgomery College in Montgomery County, MD. Previously, she served as its founding Dean of the Virtual Campus and the Department Chair of Sociology, Anthropology, and Criminal Justice. From the time she started at the College in January 2007, she has helped to advance work in the social science disciplines, open educational resources and open pedagogy, social justice and equity, inclusive curriculum, faculty professional development, international collaborations, and online education. Prior to academia, she worked as a public policy analyst at think tank organizations in the Washington, D.C. area, namely the Urban Institute and Westat.

Martha Hubertz

Dr. Martha Hubertz is an Associate Lecturer of Psychology at the University of Central Florida (UCF), where she has been revolutionizing the learning experience since 2018. With a Ph.D. in Social Psychology from Florida Atlantic University, Dr. Hubertz brings a unique blend of academic expertise and innovative teaching methodologies to her classroom. Dr. Hubertz is at the forefront of integrating sustainability and the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into higher education. As a UN Faculty Fellow for Open Educational Resources (OER) and SDGs, she has gained invaluable insights and resources to further infuse sustainability principles into her teaching and research. She views these not just as concepts, but as the new frontier of High-Impact Practices (HIPs). By weaving SDG awareness into her curriculum, Dr. Hubertz is transforming students into global citizens capable of tackling pressing world issues.

Amanda Major

Dr. Amanda Major is with the Pegasus Innovation Lab where she scales innovative initiatives across UCF. Amanda has earned certifications as a Project Management Professional, Agile Certified Practitioner, and Certified Professional in Learning and Performance, as well as from the Online Learning Consortium and Quality Matters. She has a passion for making an impact at scale. Dr. Major has presented at national and international conferences and has peer-reviewed publications, focusing her research efforts on quality e-learning operations, as well as projects and organizational development in higher education.

Barry Mauer

Barry Mauer is associate professor of English at the University of Central Florida and author of Deadly Delusions: Right-Wing Death Cult, co-author with John Venecek of Strategies for Conducting Literary Research, and co-editor with Anastasia Salter of Reimagining the Humanities. He has published articles and book chapters about citizen curating, which brings ordinary people into the production of exhibits in both online and public spaces.

Rebecca McNulty

Rebecca McNulty is an instructional designer on the Personalized Adaptive Learning team at the University of Central Florida’s Center for Distributed Learning. She holds a PhD in English from the University of Florida, where she taught a wide variety of courses and worked as graduate assistant to LibraryPress@UF. At UCF, she contributes to PAL design and development as well as to initiatives focusing on faculty development and open educational practices. Rebecca’s main research interests include the intersection between narrative theory and electronic course design as well as the changing ways that artificial intelligence influences student learning outcomes.

Sarah Norris

Sarah Norris is Scholarly Communication Librarian at the University of Central Florida Libraries. In this role, she leads the UCF Libraries’ Scholarly Communication and open access efforts, with an emphasis on scholarly publishing and copyright training and education. Her research interests include digital humanities and copyright implications in the digital environment, as well as open access efforts including the expanded use of OERs in the classroom. She has presented at local, state, national, and international conferences, in addition to being published in multiple venues.

Matthew Tye

Matthew Tye teaches and develops content for a variety of undergraduate and graduate courses in the department of biology at the University of Central Florida, including: Genetics, General Biology, Plant Science, and Programming for Biologists. He was part of the faculty group that initially transitioned UCF biology classes away from traditional textbooks to open-source materials provided by OpenStax, winning the UCF AIM High Impact Group Award in 2024.

David Wiley

David Wiley is the Chief Academic Officer of Lumen Learning, a company dedicated to improving success for all students in US higher education. His work and research happen at the intersection of open educational resources, generative AI, learning analytics, continuous improvement, and professional development. David is one of the founders of the open educational resources movement. David is also an adjunct faculty in Brigham Young University’s graduate program in Instructional Psychology and Technology where he was previously a tenured Associate Professor, and Director of The Brad D. Smith Student Incubator in the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship at Marshall University.

Daniel Williamson

As managing director, Daniel Williamson leads the day-to-day operations of OpenStax, using his extensive experience in education technology to guide content development, technology integration, and overall project coordination. A Rice University graduate and passionate advocate of improved access and equity in education, he has dedicated the past eleven years of his life to developing and leading education start-ups from idea to realization. During that time, he has staked a claim in many areas of specialization, including open education, content development, education technology, education technology policy, management, and quality assurance. Under his leadership, OpenStax has grown to become one of the largest Open Education Resource providers in the world, with nearly 80 employees, and annually serving over 7 million students at more than 70% of all degree granting institutions in the United States. OpenStax's nearly 70 digital textbooks and learning resources have already saved students over $2.9 billion in textbook costs.

Sharon Woodill

Dr. Sharon Woodill is an associate lecturer at the University of Central Florida. She holds a Ph.D. in Interdisciplinary Studies with a concentration in Philosophy and Religious Studies from Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. She holds an M.A. in Gender and Women’s Studies and a B.A. (honors) in Music (jazz piano). Her research focuses on educational technology for interdisciplinary studies, complexity theory, interdisciplinary theory and methodology, and diversity and the environment. Civil pedagogy and career readiness provide the foundation for her teaching practices.

Richard Zraick

Dr. Richard Zraick is a Professor and formerly the Founding Director of the School of Communication Sciences and Disorders at UCF. He is a Fellow of the American Speech, Language, and Hearing Association. He is also a Certified Health Simulation Educator. He received his undergraduate degree in Psychology from the University of Arizona (’84), his Master’s degree in Speech and Hearing Science from the University of Arizona (’87), and his Doctor of Philosophy degree from Arizona State University (’98). Prior to joining the faculty at UCF, he was on the faculty at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences for 17 years and taught undergraduate and graduate courses in the area of medical speech-language pathology, supervised student-clinicians in the teaching hospital and conducted research. He has over 50 peer-reviewed manuscripts in scientific journals, has given over 100 presentations at scientific and professional conferences, and is co-author of the leading textbook on voice disorders, The Voice and Voice Therapy (now in its 11th edition). His research focuses on three primary areas: (1) evaluation and treatment of voice disorders, (2) healthcare simulation, and (3) health communication. He is a “clinician at heart” and has worked as a speech-language pathologist throughout his academic career, bringing decades of clinical experience into the classroom and clinic teaching environments.

2024 Speakers

Nicole Allen

Nicole Allen is the Director of Open Education for SPARC (sparcopen.org), leading the organization's efforts to advance openness and equity in education. Inspired as a student to make knowledge more accessible to the world, she has dedicated her fifteen-year career to advocating for open education and college affordability. Her impact includes passing legislative reforms, mobilizing grassroots campaigns, and building up the open movement nationally and internationally. At SPARC, Nicole leads a broad portfolio of initiatives to advance open education, spanning state and federal policy work, community organizing, and leadership development.

Michael Callaghan

Michael Callaghan is a Mesoamerican archaeologist who specializes in the study of the ancient Maya with an emphasis on ceramic analysis. He is interested in how ceramic technology, the organization of production, and exchange of ceramics contributed to the growth of social complexity. Dr. Callaghan's research informs the study of how technology and production contribute to changes in social structure. He has been awarded grants from the National Science Foundation, National Geographic Society, American Philosophical Society, and the Fundacion Patrimonio Cultural y Natural Maya (PACUNAM) in Guatemala. Dr. Callaghan teaches courses for graduate and undergraduate students at UCF in the areas of General Anthropology, Maya Iconography, Ethics in Archaeology, Archaeological Ceramic Analysis, Archaeology and Pseudoscience, and the Anthropology of Walt Disney World, FL.

Kevin Corcoran

Lily Dubach

Amanda Groff

Dr. Groff is a senior lecturer of anthropology who specializes in archaeology and bioarcheology. Dr. Groff received her PhD in Anthropology from the University of Florida in 2015. Her primary area of research utilizes stable isotopes to determine migration and social mobility of ancient individuals. Dr. Groff joined the UCF faculty in 2009 and teaches various sections of online courses for the UCF Department of Anthropology. Currently, Dr. Groff also participates in research associated with the Cape Canaveral Archaeological Mitigation Project (CCAMP) in Florida and the Kerkenes Archaeological Project in Turkey. In addition to teaching, Dr. Groff also serves as the Online Coordinator for the UCF Department of Anthropology.

Wendy Howard

Wendy Howard is the Director the Pegasus Innovation Lab (iLab) at the Center for Distributed Learning. She has a diverse background in both corporate training and higher education. In additional to her Doctor of Education degree in Instructional Design & Technology from UCF, Wendy has also earned a BA in Mathematics and Secondary Education and an MA in Corporate Communication & Technology from Rollins College. Her current research is focused on faculty development, digital learning in STEM, collaborative online learning and internationalizing the curriculum through technology. She also provides a practitioner's perspective based on over twenty years of experience in both design and instruction.
As the director pf UCF's iLab, Dr. Howards, primary focus is to strategically align, promote, and provide project management support for initiatives that contribute to the lab's mission to serve as an incubator for the next generation of digital learning by supporting faculty and staff in piloting, refining, and evaluating innovations that positively impact student success at scale.

Dr. Denise Lowe

Dr. Denise Lowe holds and Ed.D. in Organizational Leadership, Higher Education; an M.Ed. in Guidance and Counseling; a B.S. in Psychology; and is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC). At the University of Central Florida, Denise served as an Instructional Design Team Lead from 2009 - 2018, where her duties included oversight responsibilities for several Strategic Initiatives, including faculty development and open educational resources. Denise also teaches as an adjunct lecturer in the LEAD Scholars Academy and the Nicholson School of Communication and Media. Her research foci are faculty development, emotional intelligence and leadership, and online design and teaching effectiveness. Denise currently holds a faculty rank of Senior Instructional Designer and is a member of the Open Education Resources team at UCF.

Sarah Norris

Sarah Norris is Scholarly Communication Librarian at the UCF Libraries. In this role, she leads the Libraries' Scholarly Communication and open access efforts, with an emphasis on scholarly publishing and copyright training and education. Her research interests include the expanded use of OERs in the classroom and open data, and utilizing technologies, such as artificial intelligence, to support research, teaching, and learning. In 2023, she was awarded a UCF Research Incentive Award (RIA) for outstanding research and scholarly activity that advances the body of knowledge in a particular field.

Anne Prucha

Anne Prucha is Senior Instructor in the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures at University of Central Florida (UCF), where she teaches Spanish and Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL). She is active in UCF’s Center for Distributed Learning Pegasus iLab, working with colleagues to incorporate Personalized Adaptive Learning (PAL) and OER content into first-, second- and third-year Spanish courses. In 2022, she and her colleagues, including Kacie Tartt, were recognized by UCF's Affordable Instructional Materials (AIM) Initiative with the AIM High Group Impact Award for using OER, increasing affordability and accessibility for students.

Kacie Tartt

Kacie Tartt is Senior Instructor in the department of Modern Languages and Literatures (MLL) at the University of Central Florida (UCF), where she teaches Spanish and Latin American Studies. Kacie works to taketh goals of accessibility and affordability to the next level in her courses. She also collaborates with UCF's Center for Distributed Learning to further distance learning initiatives within the Spanish division at the university, most recently exploring Adaptive Learning methods and technologies, as well as OER, within her discipline in a third round of the Course Redesign Initiative sponsored the Pegasus Innovation Lab & UCF Board of Trustees.

Karen Tinsley-Kim

Karen Tinsley-Kim is part of the Instructional Development, or iDev, Team that creates online tutorials and training to equip faculty, staff, and students to effectively use Webcourses@UCF and other online instructional assess. She coordinates Deaf/Hard of Hearing (DHH) online reactive accessibility content reviews and support for instructors who have enrolled students connected with Student Accessibility Services (SAS). Karen has a BS in Studio Art from FSU, MA TESOL from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, and is continuing her academic development the Texts & Technology graduate program at UC. Before joining CDL's iDev Team in 2012, Karen taught ESL/EFL for over two decades, including in East Asia and at UCF-CMMS. Throughout her careers, she has contributed her skills in writing, editing, graphic and web design, and online teacher training. Karen is also the utility patented product developer of the Redema Ottoman Footrest, which she uses under her desk every day.

Sandra Wheeler

Sandra Wheeler is a Senior Lecturer and Anthropology Undergraduate Coordinator. Dr. Wheeler teaches Primatology, Ancient Plagues: Archaeological and Skeletal Evidence of Infectious Disease, and Mummies, Zombies, and Vampires: Anthropology of the Undead, among others. Several of her courses have received Quality, High Quality and Blended Quality designations. Dr. Wheeler also developed Beyond the Anthropology Major: Careers Applying Anthropology, and undergraduate professional development course aimed at non-academic and alt-academic jobs; this course received a high-impact Integrative-Learning Experience designation. Dr. Wheeler is committed to student-centered learning and providing low-to-no-cost accessible course materials. As Undergraduate Coordinator, Dr. Wheeler helped spearhead the adoption of OER course materials in all of the Anthropology General Education Programs. By 2025 the Anthropology Department aims to adopt OER course materials for ensure all lower level Anthropology courses.

Lana Williams

Lana Williams, a bioarcheologist specializing in research of human health and diet. She works in Egypt with the Dakhleh Oasis Project (2002-present) and the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven project at Dayr al-Barsha (2006-present), and as a team member with various archaeological projects in Europe, the Near East, and Mesoamerica. isotopic and elemental analysis of hair, seasonality in fertility and disease, musculoskeletal biomechanics and patterns of activity, and placement of the dead in the physical and social landscapes. Dr. Williams regularly teaches introductory general education courses in Anthropology and upper-level courses on Ancient Egypt, the Viking World, Human Biological Diversity, Biobehavioral Anthropology, and History of Anthropological Thought.