Updates for 2018 coming soon...
2017 Speakers
(In alphabetical order by last name.)
Josh D'Ambrosio, Research Assistant
RMC Research Corporation, New York, NY Josh D'Ambrosio is a Research Assistant at RMC Research Corporation - New York. His work focuses on educational technology and professional development strategies. He has experience in coordinating with state, district, and school officials; qualitative data collection and analyses, and providing technical assistance services. Josh is a certified Microsoft Educator and trainer. He is well versed with many of Microsoft's educational tools, which include Minecraft in Education and Touch Develop. Josh graduated Magna Cum Laude from Hunter College in New York City with a Bachelor's Degree in Urban Studies with a focus on Urban Education. Prior to attending Hunter College, he was an Urban Affairs major at Virginia Tech. He is currently pursuing a certification in Geographic Information Systems and Design from Pratt Institute with a focus on geospatial data analytics for educational purposes. |
Vinny Basile, Instructional Designer
SUNY Cobleskill, NY, USA Vinny is the Instructional Designer for SUNY Cobleskill where he received his bachelor's degree in Network Administration in 2005. Vinny started working for SUNY in 2012, prior to that he was employed at Otsego County as a computer technician for seven years. He is currently working toward his MBA at SUNY Empire and will be finishing up in December 2017. |
Kathryn DeZur, Professor of English
SUNY Delhi, NY USA Dr. DeZur is Professor of English at SUNY Delhi. She earned her doctorate in English with a concentration in Early Modern Studies from the Claremont Graduate University. Dr. DeZur is the recipient of the Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Teaching and the Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Scholarship and Creative Activities. She regularly teaches both film and literature courses online and has participated in pedagogical research regarding the efficacy of screencasting in an online environment. |
Kirsty Digger, Professor, School of Nursing
SUNY Delhi, NY USA Dr. Kirsty Digger is a Professor with SUNY Delhi's School of Nursing. In her current role, Dr. Digger is a full-time faculty teaching in the online Rn to BSN and MSN program and is Program Director for Technology. Dr. Digger's research interests are nursing faculty use and integration of technology, preparation of nursing faculty to teach online, and application of mobile technologies in nursing and nursing education. |
Ericka Ericson, Instructional Technologist
SUNY Delhi, NY USA Ericka is an alumni of SUNY Delhi and completed her B.A. at Hartwick College. Working in conjunction with the CCTL team as an Instructional Technologist, she provides support to the campus community through the development of instructional material and creation of Moodle-based training courses. Additionally, she is experienced in Web 2.0, multimedia tools for education, and digital learning resources. View her website here. |
Carrie Fishner, Director, Resnick Library
SUNY Delhi, NY USA Carrie Fishner is currently the Director of the Resnick Library and Learning Center at SUNY Delhi. She has been at Delhi for the last six years in a variety of roles, including Instructor, Librarian, and a Student Affairs Associate. Carrie began her professional career as a Residence Hall Director, which gives her a unique skill set that lends itself well to the outreach and marketing portion of running a Library. When not at work, Carrie enjoys time spent with her husband and 2 young children and their clowder of cats, reading, and SCUBA diving when given the chance. |
Liz Frisbee, Assistant Professor, School of Veterinary Science Technology
SUNY Delhi, NY USA Liz Frisbee is a Licensed Veterinary Technician with a B.S. in Animal Science and a Master in Public Health degree. She teaches Medical Math, Veterinary Pathology & Parasitology, and online Introduction to Public Health courses. She enjoys employing new teaching approaches, tools, and technologies to teach her students complex material, as well as strategies to help her students retain information in the face-to-face or online classroom. |
Dan Feinberg, Senior Instructional Designer
SUNY COTE Dan Feinberg is a Senior Instructional Designer for Open SUNY COTE. He has experience at all levels of the public education pipeline, ranging from being an elementary and middle school science teacher in Washington, DC, to a high school curriculum developer, to an online course developer for the University at Albany’s Rockefeller College, to most recently being the Coordinator of Instructional Technology for Schenectady County Community College. He holds a masters degree in instructional design and technology from George Mason University and a bachelors degree in neurobiology and behavior from Haverford College. |
Kathleen Gradel, Professor in the College of Education
SUNY Fredonia Kathleen Gradel is a Professor in the College of Education, SUNY Fredonia, NY, where she teaches cross-departmental online, blended, and face-to-face coursework, from first-year to Master's students. She has worked with pre-service and in-service educators for 36 years, teaching from preschool through doctoral levels. She is recognized for her expertise in helping P-12 teachers develop skills in the use of evidence-based practices, especially those strengthened with pedagogically sound technology. She frequently works with higher ed faculty and support staff, with a focus on technology to enhance campus-based and online learning. At Fredonia, she co-teaches the campus' required (online) course for novice online instructors. Her most recent initiatives have involved helping Fredonia pilot its first-year program and leading a new initiative to build on-demand professional development micro-courses for faculty. Kathleen also works with SUNY CPD as a professional development facilitator; this fall, she hosted an asynchronous course on grant writing. She is one of Fredonia's FACT2 representatives and is currently chairing the FACT2 Task Force on Educational Resources for Students with Special Needs. She received the 2016 FACT2 Award for Excellence in Instruction/State-Operated and Statutory Campuses, and is a recipient of the Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Teaching. |
George Haines, Instructional Designer and Online Educator
VoiceThread George is the Instructional Designer and Online Educator at VoiceThread. He is a former Instructional Designer on the higher education level and a former K-12 teacher. He is an advocate of global collaborations, student-centered lesson design, online learning, formative assessment and breaking down the walls of the classroom. George received both his B.A. and M.A. from SUNY Stony Brook. |
John Horner, Instructional Technologist
SUNY Delhi, NY USA John has been a part of the SUNY Delhi community for over 25 years. He has worked in Student Life, Judicial Affairs, Greek Life, Academic Advisement and has been teaching History and Government for almost two decades. John has been teaching online courses since the college first began using WebCT in the early 2000s, and has moved into supporting and training other faculty in using the Moodle online learning platform as a member of CCTL." |
Kelly Keck, M.Ed, Instructional Designer
SUNY Delhi, NY USA Kelly has a Masters in Education and a Masters in Information Technology. He has worked for the past 17 years delivering and developing technical and end-user training for various proprietary systems. Kelly is the instructional designer and works with faculty on the development of online educational programs including Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) courses. |
Monica Liddle, Professor School of Liberal Arts and Sciences
SUNY Delhi, NY USA Monica Liddle has a B.A/M.A. in Mathematics from SUNY Potsdam and a PhD in Curriculum & Instruction from the University at Albany. For the past 17 years, she has taught mathematics and education at SUNY Delhi. In addition, she serves the campus as the Coordinator of Institutional Effectiveness & Assessment. Her research interests include active learning and assessment. |
Scott May, Assistant Director Computing Services
SUNY Delhi, NY USA Mr. May is the Associate Director of Computing Services and oversees systems networking, telecommunications and Online Education Support. He has worked in broad array of technology support and infrastructure positions for over 20 years. He is a champion of adopting mature quality open source technologies as a way to drive software license revenues into higher quality end user support. Mr. May is a dedicated community volunteer serving as President of the Delhi Campus Child Care Center Board of Directors, member of the SUNY Computing Officers Association (COA) Executive Council and an area fire commissioner. He provides oversight and guidance for the infrastructure and support so faculty may have the strongest foundation underneath their online instructional endeavors possible. |
Andrew McIntosh, Enrichment and Technology Teacher
South Orangetown Middle School, NY Andrew is currently an enrichment and technology teacher at South Orangetown Middle School. He was previously an instructional technologist at SUNY Delhi. Prior to working at SUNY Delhi he trained healthcare clinicians on electronic health records at Bassett Healthcare Network. Andrew earned a M.S.Ed. in educational technology holds a New York State Educational Technology Specialist certificate for grades K-12. |
Billy Meredith, Adjunct Instructor
SUNY Delhi, NY USA Billy Meredith is an adjunct instructor at SUNY Delhi where he teaches American History and French courses. Additionally, he serves as an adjunct instructor of Sociology at SUNY Sullivan. He holds Bachelor's degrees in History and French Studies as well as Master's degrees in education and history from the University at Albany. He has used digital tools in assisting language students better develop and preserve their developing language skills. |
Grady Miller, Systems Analyst
SUNY Delhi, NY USA Grady has always had an interest in computers. As a young child, he had fun playing computer games and now he enjoys putting his skills and experience to work by helping faculty, staff, and students. Grady is committed to helping others make the best use of technology, helping out however he can. He specializes in server administration and assists in troubleshooting various technology-related issues. Grady's commitment to the college is seen by his service on committees, the training sessions he delivers, and by his presentations at professional conferences. When he isn't sitting in front of his computer, he spends time studying the Bible and teaching others about it. Grady enjoys learning about emerging technologies and how they can help us with the work we do. |
Jessica Morse, Assistant Manager of Client Support Services
SUNY Delhi, NY USA Jessica is an alumni of SUNY Delhi. She received her Bachelors in Network Administration. She worked for a credit union and independent computer support company before joining SUNY Delhi in 2006. In her ten years, she has held many hats. Initially Jessica was a temp worker filling in for two maternity leaves. She did server administration, user management, and help desk support. Once folks returned from leave, Jessica remained on as a Help Desk Associate and then Assistant Network Administrator. During these positions, she learned the ins and outs of how the campus functions, which has helped her grow through the years with the campus. she transitioned into working Help Desk in 2009 and has come up through the ranks into being the Assistant Manager of Client Support Services. Here she oversees the "outward facing" portion of CIS, managing students and staff that directly work with the campus community through the Help Desk. She currently lives in Binghamton, NY with her husband Andy and their 4-legged and finned children. |
Chad Oliver, Senior System Administrator
SUNY Delhi, NY USA Chad Oliver has been employed at SUNY Delhi for a little over a year. Chad has been working in IT for a decade and, for most of that time period, he has been employed locally, working for Delaware Academy as well as a local manufacturing company. Chad is also a SUNY Delhi Alumni who graduated in 2010 with a Bachelors of Technology in Network and Systems Administration. |
Christopher Price, Academic Programs Manager
SUNY Center for Professional Development Christopher Price is the Academic Programs Manager for the SUNY Center for Professional Development. He is on temporary leave from his position as Director of the Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching (CELT) at The College at Brockport, State University of New York. He started working at Brockport after receiving his PhD in Political Science from the University at Albany in 2004. In addition to his work at CELT, Chris is an instructor for Brockport’s Department of Political Science and International Studies as well as the Master and Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Studies programs. Teaching and learning workshops he has conducted include discussion-based teaching, communicating effectively with students, collaborative learning, academic integrity, teaching with technology, and using critical reflection to improve teaching and learning. In 2013, Chris received the SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Professional Service. He lives in Rochester, New York with his spouse Jessica and his children Lucy and Henry. |
Cherie van Putten, Instructional Designer
Binghamton University, NY USA Cherie van Putten is an Instructional Designer for the Center for Learning and Teaching at Binghamton University. She facilitates workshops for faculty and serves as a resource for those who want to pursue online and hybrid courses. Cherie holds a Master’s degree in Adult Education from Penn State University. Her areas of interest include faculty development, creating learning communities, non-traditional learners, and distance education delivery. Cherie has worked on the SUNY-wide Tools of Engagement Project (TOEP): On-demand Discovery Learning Professional Development for the past five years. The project website is located at: http://suny.edu/toep |
Michelle Rogers-Estable, Manager of Online Education
SUNY Delhi, NY USA Dr. Estable holds a Doctorate of Instructional Technology and Distance Education and currently works at SUNY Delhi as the Manger of Online Education in NY (USA), and previously at The Higher Colleges of Technology (in the UAE) as an Educational Technology Lead, in both cases conducting eLearning project management, evaluation of course design, and managing faculty training and support. Michelle has completed distance learning contracts and educational technology program development in 3 countries: United States, France, and the United Arab Emirates. Her research interests have centered on emerging technologies, Web 2.0 in education, 21st Century digital learning skills, and positive psychology in education. View her website, and her blog. |
Roberta (Robin) Sullivan, Online Learning Specialist and Instructional Designer
SUNY Buffalo, NY USA Roberta (Robin) Sullivan is an Online learning Specialist and instructional designer who is responsible for researching and implementing innovative teaching and learning methodologies. She helps facilitate a university-wide culture of exploration and dialogue around online education by employing online resources and professional development opportunities to facilitate the integration of emerging technology tools into instruction. Among her many contributions, Ms. Sullivan was the original principal investigator and helped to develop and implement the Tools of Engagement Project (TOEP) encouraging faculty and staff across the SUNY system to reflect on creative uses of online instructional technologies. Sullivan was also recognized recently with a SUNY award for Excellence in Instructional Support. |
Lisa Tessier, Assistant Professor, Liberal Arts and Sciences
SUNY Delhi, NY USA Lisa Tessier has a B.S. from Cornell, and an M.S. from SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry (SUNY ESF). She presently teaches in the arts, and humanities at SUNY Delhi. Additionally, she has taught design courses at SUNY ESF in Syracuse, and art at Capital Community College in Hartford. Lisa has also worked for two landscape architecture firms in NYS, and for the Center for Community Design Research at SUNY ESF. Her focus is on creating engaging learning experiences in both on-line and face-to-face classes, and her research focuses on advancing teaching and learning. |
Gabriella Vasta, Coordinater, Access and Equity Services
SUNY Delhi, NY USA Gabriella Vasta holds a Bachelor’s in Business and Information Technology Management with a focus on Assistive Technology and is currently pursuing a Master’s in Curriculum Development and Instructional Technology. She provides services to students with disabilities, and directly assists them with any of their educational needs. Previously, Gabriella was the Assistive Technology Specialist at SUNY Delhi. In her new capacity as Coordinator, she continues to work directly with instructional designers on initiatives to improve accessibility. She is also seated on the SUNY Sector Executive Council and the Access Technology Committee for the New York State Disability Services Council (NYSDSC). |