Dr. Darcy W. Hardy, Associate Vice President for Enterprise Consulting. With over 25 years of experience in higher education distance and online learning, Dr. Hardy now leads a team of nationallyrecognized experts in higher education, K-12, e-learning and distance education, information technology, open source technologies, outcomes and assessment, and analytics. Prior to her position with Blackboard, she has served as Assistant Vice Provost for Technology Education Initiatives at the University of Texas at San Antonio, Assistant Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs at The University of Texas System, and Executive Director of the UT TeleCampus. She has also served as an Intergovernmental Personnel Act (IPA) appointment at the US Department of Labor and the US Department of Education in Washington, DC. Dr. Hardy received her PhD in Instructional Technology from The University of Texas at Austin in 1992. She currently serves as Chair Emerita with the United States Distance Learning Association (USDLA), where she has been a member of the Board of Directors since 1999 and served as president in 2004/2005. She is the founder of the popular USDLA-sponsored International Forum for Women in E-Learning (IFWE), an event that focuses on issues faced by women in the industry as well as on the importance of networking and mentoring in the growth of women leaders for tomorrow. Dr. Hardy was inducted into the USDLA Hall of Fame in 2009 and received the Mildred and Charles Wedemeyer Outstanding Distance Learning Practitioner Award in Madison, Wisconsin in 2006. In addition, she was inducted into the Texas Distance Learning Association Hall of Fame in 2006, and received the WCET Richard Jonsen award in 2005. She has served and continues to serve on various editorial and advisory boards and has delivered hundreds of presentations, keynotes and workshops on distance education, online learning and leadership.
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Dr. John G. Flores
Dr. John G. Flores is an authority in the field of education, technology and telecommunications. As an Assistant Program Professor in Educational Leadership at Nova Southeastern University – Abraham S. Fischler College of Education, Dr. Flores, represents a global university focused on the creation, implementation and delivery of quality distance learning educational programs. In addition as the Managing Director of the Board of Directors of the United States Distance Learning Association Dr. Flores helps lead a global association focused on the application of distance learning for varied constituencies using varied technologies.
Moreover, Dr. Flores was President and CEO of Global Learning Network, a Seattle based company focusing on the development and broadcast of educational programming in partnership with the Direct Broadcast Satellite industry. Prior to this, Dr. Flores was appointed by Governor William Weld and later Governor Paul Cellucci to serve as Executive Director of the Massachusetts Corporation for Educational Telecommunications (MCET), a Quasi Public State Agency focused on the development and application of telecommunication initiatives for all Massachusetts K12 schools, State Colleges, Community Colleges, the UMASS System and numerous other State Agencies. At MCET , Dr. Flores led and worked toward the development of an award winning national organization that produced distance learning programming through the Mass Learnpike broadcasting network.
During his tenure he built MCET Corporation into an outstanding multi-million dollar business successfully combining federal and state telecommunications projects with the private sector. Dr. Flores has also served as a K-12 Superintendent of Schools in Massachusetts, a teacher, a coach and as an educational technology specialist in his previous professional experiences. Throughout his career he has used his leadership and knowledge to promote high expectations and improve the overall quality of school programs, student achievement and public awareness.
As a business person he has combined that same ability in the development and implementation of very successful business practices resulting in profitable companies and quality products. Dr. Flores currently serves on the Board of Visitors at UMASS, Boston. He is a member of the International Society for Technology in Education, member of the New England Coalition of Educational Leaders and Board Member and Chairperson of the Literature Review Committee of the International Journal of Instructional Media. Dr. Flores also serves as the Association Editor of the USDLA Distance Learning Magazine, a practitioner research journal focusing on distance learning technologies and applications. He was a former Board Member of the Massachusetts Telecommunications Council, Executive Committee Member of the Massachusetts Education Television Board, and Chairperson of the Massachusetts Quasi Public State Agency Council. In addition he has been a member of numerous advisory boards some of which have been the Board of Directors of Ball State University, Center for Information and Communication Services, the National Education Telecommunications Organization, the National Advisory Group for the National Institute for the Deaf where he was appointed by former Federal Secretary of Education Richard Riley for the planning and implementation of distance learning networks for hearing impaired citizens of the United States, the Massachusetts Telecommunications Council Board and the Editorial Board of the USDLA Newsletter Series.
He has been published in numerous journals and is a leading national spokesperson on educational technology and distance learning applications. He also co edited “Electronic 3 Learning Communities: Current Issues And Best Practices” published by Information Age Publishing Company.
As a distance learning consultant Dr. Flores has worked with numerous companies on distance learning technology and applications including Anderson Consulting, Booktech.com, Coalition to Connect Rural America, Consortium for Worker Education, the Educating Everyone Foundation and many others. He has been a special consultant to The World Bank, headquartered in Washington, D.C. As a member of the Bank’s Panel of Experts on Distance Learning he focused on low-cost, appropriate technologies and approaches for distance learning aimed at rural, isolated and nomadic populations in developing nations. Dr. Flores is a member of the USDLA Hall of Fame, Phi Delta Kappa, Pi Lambda Theta and numerous other organizations. He is listed in the International Who’s Who of Distance Learning and has published numerous articles on education and telecommunications with a focus on distance learning technology. Dr. Flores received his Bachelor of Science Degree from Boston State College/UMass Boston, his Master’s Degree from Boston University, and his Ph.D. Degree from the University of Connecticut.
Michael A. Baker
Michael Baker is the Executive Vice President of WOW-Vision.
WOW-Vision provides collaboration solutions that help improve idea generation and innovation in organizations through their award winning technology. His responsibilities are to build opportunities and partnerships within Education, Healthcare and Corporate training.
Baker has worked as Strategic Market Development / Video Evangelist at Vaddio introducing the first USB-HD Video Cameras and solutions. He Consulted as Director of North American Sales at Creative Labs for the video industries first sub $1,000 videoconferencing device and the first “cloud computing” integration of SIP, H.323, Skype and MCU. He has served as VP of Education at Trapeze Wireless Networks expanding wireless technology networks into Education, Healthcare and Corporate markets worldwide. As VP of Business Development at VBrick Systems, Baker developed and managed expansion of business relationships in Education and Healthcare.
Mr.Baker was Global Vice President of Vertical Markets (Education, Healthcare and State & Local Governments) at Polycom. He successfully conceived, started and managed the growth of the Verticals from $0 revenue to more than $103M in less than 4 years taking Polycom from start up to leader in Education markets globally.
Baker has served as Director of International Sales and National Sales Manager at ParkerVision, manufacturer of the industry’s first Tracking Camera systems known as “CameraMan” for Distance Learning classrooms and Corporate training rooms.
Mr Baker was National Manager of Education Markets and New Technologies at Panasonic Broadcast and Television Systems Company. While at Panasonic he headed sales efforts into the Education markets introducing new products in laser disc technologies and videoconferencing. Baker started his corporate career at Sony Corporation as a Government Regional Sales Manager.
While at Sony and Panasonic he was recognized for Sales and Leadership receiving the Vice President’s Award in Sales at Panasonic and inducted into the Sony Samurai Society for Sales achievement.
He has been a Director of Television for “live” sports programs and Directed more than 150 “live” TV concerts/shows for National broadcast television.
Mr Baker is Chair Emeritus and Past President of the United States Distance Learning Association and has volunteered his time in the organization for the past 21 years. Baker has served as a member of the Board of Industry Advisors for technology at the American Telemedicine Association, a member of the Congressional Internet Caucus and an internationally known speaker and presenter advocating Distance Learning and classroom technology.
He volunteered more than 8 years on Youth Football and Fast Pitch Softball programs for young women. He served as President of the Pop Warner Youth Football Association in Marietta, Georgia. He served as President of two Home Owner Associations. He has been honored as an “Outstanding Young Man in America”, a recipient of the Freedom’s Foundation Award and is a recipient of the George Foster Peabody Award for Significant and Meritorious Achievement in Electronic Media.
Mr. Baker has been inducted into the Teleconferencing Hall of Fame and the United States Distance Learning Association Hall of Fame. He is listed in Who’s Who in Distance Learning and Business and Who’s Who in Teleconferencing. He has served as International Fellow (International Fellow of the Year-2000) at the Center for Information and Communication Sciences at Ball State University and was a Member of the Board at the Institute for Teacher and Learning Excellence at Oklahoma State University. Mr Baker is an active member of the Board of Advisors for the Visual Communications Industry Group (VCI-G). He serves as an member of the Board of Advisors for technology to the President of Gallaudet University in Washington D.C.
University of Georgia
About
The United States Distance Learning Association was the first nonprofit distance learning association in the United States to support distance learning research, development and praxis across the complete arena of education, training and communications.
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Privacy Statement
In 1987, the USDLA was founded on the premise of creating a powerful alliance to meet the burgeoning education and training needs of learning communities via new concepts of the fusion of communication technologies with learning in broad multidiscipline applications.
An elected President, Executive Committee, and a governing board now govern USDLA.
The learning communities that the USDLA addresses are: pre K-12, higher education, continuing education, corporate training, military and government training, home schooling, and telehealth. In addition the USDLA is also focused on national and international technology based distance learning.
USDLA through its mission of … supporting the development and application of distance learning … focuses on all legislation impacting the distance learning community and its constituencies.
Goals
- Leadership: To provide national leadership in the field of distance learning
- Advocate: To advocate and promote the use of distance learning
- Information: To provide current information on distance learning
- Policy: To represent the distance learning community before government policy and regulatory bodies
- Association of Associations: To serve and support the state, consortium and individual organizations that belong to the USDLA
- Recognition: To provide annual recognition and awards of outstanding achievements in distance learning
- Partnerships: To serve as a catalyst for the formation of partnerships among education, business, healthcare, government, and non-governmental organizations
- International: To achieve a global leadership role through liaisons with international organizations
- Access and Equity: To promote equity and access to lifelong learning through distance learning
- Diversity: To promote diversity in our organization and its programs