The unDistance Learning Conference 2023

Dr. Terrell Lamont Strayhorn is one of the most prolific and influential scholars in the fields of education, psychology, and the academic study of diversity, equity, inclusion,and belonging (DEIB). Named of the country’s “Top Diversity Scholars” by Diverse Issues in Higher Education and a remarkable “Bridge-Builder” between academic- and student affairs by one of ACPA’s commissions, Strayhorn has authored 12 books, including the award-winning College Students’ Sense of Belonging (2nd ed, 2019), and over 200+ peer-reviewed journal articles and academic publications. His research has been cited, endorsed, or financially supported by over $10 million from the most premiere agencies in the world including Lumina Foundation, Annie E. Casey Foundation, National Science Foundation, to name a few. One of his core passions is translating research-to-practice in ways that improve the material conditions and lived experiences of our most vulnerable populations. He accomplishes this mission largely through the more than 2000+ public talks, distinguished lectures, and keynotes he has delivered across the globe.A respected thought-leader and highly-sought speaker, Strayhorn’s ground-breaking research has been cited in many outlets including The Washington Post, The Chronicle of Higher Education, Huffington Post, Essence, and Diverse Issues,to name a few. He is President and CEO of Do Good Work Consulting Group, a minority-owned business that partners with hundreds of colleges, universities, corporations, and agencies each year to enhance culture, build inclusive environments, and boost belonging in ways that raise morale, increase retention, improve people’s journey, and help organizations hit their bottom line. He’s a Contributing Writer for Entrepreneur, Thrive Global, AllBusiness, and Psychology Today, where he leads the “Belonging Matters” blog. Strayhorn is Professor of Education and Psychology; Director of the Center for the Study of HBCUs, and Principal Investigator of The Belonging Lab at Virginia Union University,where he also serves as Associate Provost for Faculty Development. He is Diversity Scholar-in-Residence at Harrisburg Area Community College, Fellow of AGB’s Institute for Leadership & Governance, and board member for several non-profits including Rainbow Labs, Oregon Outreach Inc., Career Analysis Academy, Psychologists of Color Inc., and the MCT Educational Foundation. He is a proud member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Incorporated.

Company: Do Good Work Consulting
Group Website: www.dogoodworkllc.org
Connect with me on Twitter, LinkedIn, or Instagram
Here’s how to pronounce his name: https://bit.ly/TLSSayIt

Dr. Anthony A. Piña is Chief Online Learning Officer at Illinois State University. He has been a consultant to Fortune 500 corporations, small businesses, local government agencies, the U.S. Coast Guard, and is a digital learning consultant to colleges and universities across the country.  Dr. Piña is Series Co-Editor of the “Leadership and Best Practices in Educational Technology Management” book series with Brill Publishing and is on the editorial board of four scholarly journals. He has published seven books and more than 100 additional publications in distance education, educational technology and management. See https://prodev.illinoisstate.edu/about/staff/pina/index.php for more information.

Dr. Nathan Pritts is an award-winning educator, course developer, and faculty mentor with a strong focus on innovation with practical applications. He brings expertise in writing, business communication, advertising & marketing, and online user experience to the general education classroom to maximize student learning and heighten engagement, infusing curriculum with foundational outcomes bolstered by clear ties to a student’s academic and career path. Professor and Program Chair of First-Year Writing at the University of Arizona Global Campus, Dr. Pritts is also the author or co-author of twelve books including Decoherence (Indiana University Press), Film: From Watching to Seeing (3e), Research and Writing (2e), and Essentials of Academic Writing (4e).  He also served as editor and wrote the introduction for, Living Online: A Digital Fluency Handbook. He’s building a handbook of the strategies and best practices essential for designing and delivering meaningful learning experiences to students online one chapter at a time at https://radical-humanity.carrd.co/. See
https://www.uagc.edu/about/faculty/nate-pritts and https://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/online-education/online-course-delivery-and-instruction/how-to-be-conspicuously-human-in-the-online-classroom/ for more information.

Dr. Isis Artze-Vega is the College Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs at Valencia College, a Hispanic-serving institution long regarded as one of the nation’s best community colleges, in Orlando, FL. She provides strategic leadership in the areas of curriculum, assessment, faculty development, online learning, career and workforce education, and partnerships for educational equity. Prior to joining Valencia, Dr. Artze-Vega served as Assistant Vice President for Teaching and Learning at Florida International University, leading such efforts as a gateway course project, a hybrid course initiative, and the comprehensive redesign of teaching evaluation. Prior to joining FIU, she taught English Composition and Enrollment Management at the University of Miami. and taught writing at the University of Miami. She serves as an advisor for the Post-secondary Teaching with Technology Collaborative and is an active member of the national educational development community, currently serving on the board of the Professional and Organizational Development (POD) Network. She is co-author of Connections Are Everything: A College Student’s Guide to Relationship-Rich Education (2023) and The Norton Guide to Equity-Minded Teaching (2023). See https://www.linkedin.com/in/isis-artze-vega-69952418/ for more information.

Andy Offutt Irwin is an arts educator, theatre director, songwriter, comedian, keynote speaker, and traveling writer & storyteller.

As a one-person showman, Andy has been a perennial favorite of the Teller-in-Residence Program at the International Storytelling Center in Jonesborough, Tennessee, (seventeen seasons, now) and he has been a Featured Teller at the National Storytelling Festival eleven times as of 2023.

From 1991 to 2007 he was Artist in Residence at Oxford College of Emory University where in 2001 he was the recipient of the Sammy Clark Award for Exemplary Teaching and Service. He continues providing theatre and service projects for Emory’s Oxford Campus (where he is now known officially as Artist in Just Passing Through).

Since 1993 Andy has worked in conjunction with Oxford’s Counseling and Career Services, designing original theatrical orientation programing aimed at empowering student Peer Assistant Leaders (PALs) with tools to guide first-year students into a greater awareness of social and health issues.

From 1993 – 2015 Andy was a teaching artist with Young Audiences, Woodruff Arts Center in Atlanta. He continues to receive fee support from the Georgia Council for the Arts, as a member of the Touring Artists Roster.

Other Trophies: He is a recipient of seven Storytelling World Awards; Two Just Plain Folks Awards, the Oracle Circle of Excellence Award from the National Storytelling Network, and a Parents’ Choice Honor for his kids’ album, “Andy’s Wild Amphibian Show!” In 2017 Andy received a Special Congressional Recognition – For outstanding and invaluable service to the community. From Rep. John Lewis.

Other Notable Arts Education Engagements
LaGuardia School of Art, Music, and Performing Arts (the FAME! School)
New York, NY: Visiting Lecturer and Performer

Library of Congress-Virburnum Foundation Conference on Family Literacy:
Keynote Speaker/Performer

Georgia College: Playwright in Residence

Georgia Tech: Visiting Performer and songwriter with the Georgia Tech Glee Club

Amherst College, Men’s Double Quartet: Visiting Songwriter

University of Alabama: Resident Facility Speaker Series

Conference on Children’s Literature, Ft Lauderdale, Florida, 2012:
Keynote Speaker

On Stage Atlanta Youth Theatre Camp: Director, 2004 – 2011

The University of Nebraska at Kearney: Guest Lecturer – 2012, 2017

East Tennessee State University, Storytelling Institute: Guest Instructor – 2017

Everybody is impressed to know that from 1984 to 1989 Andy began his career selling out to a mouse at Walt Disney’s EPCOT Center where, under the auspices of SAK Theatre he performed, wrote, and directed live comedy shows.

Andy lives in Covington, Georgia. He thinks he is funny.