Dr. Liz Boltz

As MALXD’s Director, Liz (she/her) is dedicated to supporting students and the diverse goals, needs, and backgrounds they bring to MALXD. Liz is a graduate of Michigan State University’s Educational Psychology & Educational Technology PhD program, where she studied videogames for learning. She has been an instructor for the Master of Arts in Educational Technology (MAET) program since 2013, and has taught in the online, hybrid, and overseas formats. She also serves as the Program Director for the MAET and MAED programs. Liz writes and plays music, and also enjoys drawing and playing video games.

Candace Robertson

As the Assistant Director of Student Experience and Outreach, Candace (she/her) connects with learners, instructors, key stakeholders, and partners to support the connection between theory, research, and practice to support learning in a range of educational contexts. She advises all MALXD and MAET learners, oversees the evaluation and iteration of each program’s experience, develops curriculum, and teaches with the programs. Her work revolves around supporting educators and designers in developing meaningful and creative experiences for their learners while employing critical lenses. Candace brings her knowledge and experience as a former K-12 teacher to her role in higher education. She began working with the MAET program in 2014 and enjoys a good creativity jam session as a part of the learning experience design process!

Dr. Brittany Dillman

Dr. Brittany Dillman (she/her) loves working with the MALXD and MAET programs especially her roles of advising all GC students, curriculum development for courses, and teaching courses. Brittany has a doctorate from the Educational Psychology and Educational Technology program at Michigan State University. She is curious about teachers’ decision-making process. She taught middle school mathematics for a decade prior to coming to MSU. Brittany is organized by nature and loves to alphabetize and color code. She loves being silly with her family, traveling, making books on Shutterfly, teaching courses, and working with our students.

Heather Williamson

Heather Williamson (she/her) is a familiar face in the MALXD and MAET programs. Heather enjoys assisting all members of the MALXD community – current students, prospective students, instructors, and alumni. Heather received her degree from Davenport University and has been a part of the MSU community for 28 years. Outside of work Heather enjoys bicycling, walking her dog KC, reading, watching MSU sports, and spending time with her family (especially the grandkids).

Kristen

Coming soon!

John Pauls

John Pauls (he/him) is an instructional designer and adjunct professor at Jacksonville University in Jacksonville, Florida. In this role, John works with faculty to design university coursework, designs and delivers professional learning for university faculty, and teaches university technology and education coursework. Passionate about innovative and accessible learning using technology, John shares this passion with educators as a professional learning specialist with the Northwest Council for Computer Education (NCCE), where he was worked with thousands of educators and institutions around the United States in meeting their professional learning goals. John’s current research interests include AI perceptions and use in academia, the impact of gamification and game-based learning on STEM performance for individuals with disabilities using Minecraft and using AI to assist with community education resource development for STEM majors.

Katie Peterson

Katie (she/her), an Educational Developer for Academic Advisors at Michigan State University, designs campus-wide professional development and training resources for academic advisors. Before this role, she worked in undergraduate admissions and academic advising in both Georgia and Michigan. Katie earned a bachelor’s in Family Community Services from MSU and a Master of Education from Georgia Southern University. She now lives in Lansing with her husband, Patrick, and her two dogs, Beaumont and Bailey. As a lifelong learner with a passion for design, the MALXD program has been a perfect fit for her.

Madison Allen Kuyenga

Madison Allen Kuyenga is a doctoral candidate in Educational Psychology and Educational Technology at Michigan State University. She has expertise in qualitative research and teacher preparation. Her research and teaching focus on education, race, and technology. More specifically, Madison works with teachers and community experts (e.g. barbers, cosmetologists, librarians, and clothing designers) to integrate the knowledge, cultural values, and practices of African Americans and the African diaspora into educational spaces in and out of school. To accomplish this, Madison leverages culturally responsive and sustaining pedagogies to design rigorous learning environments and implement curricular materials that are inclusive and equitable.

Bryan Dean

Bryan Dean is CAST’s Innovation Specialist with over 25 years of experience working at the intersection of human-centered design, inclusive education, and technology. Bryan has keynote, international, national, state, and regional presentation and training experience. Bryan is known for his creative problem-solving, unique designs, and eclectic style. His instructional experience has been with students in behavioral dysregulation, youth adjudication, and experienced trauma requiring moderate to intense interventions. Bryan’s specializations include professional learning, learner experience design, environmental/agile space design, trauma-informed teaching, educational technology, and artificial intelligence through the lens of Universal Design for Learning.

Dr. Rohit Mehta

Dr. Rohit Mehta is an associate professor in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at California State University, Fresno, where they coordinate the MA in Teaching program. Their current work focuses on helping teachers nurture a creative identity to design learning environments that include multiple ways of being, knowing, and doing, especially those at social margins.

Rolando Méndez

Rolando Méndez is the Director of Education at Teach Access, where he creates tools and strategies to help educators integrate accessibility into their teaching and curricula. A bilingual learning experience designer, manager, and facilitator, Rolando specializes in accessibility education, curriculum design, and workforce development. With over 20 years of experience in education, he has dedicated his career to creating accessible, sustainable, and scalable initiatives that foster learning and knowledge application. Rolando is a passionate advocate for accessibility, equity, and inclusion in all areas of education.

Kate Molloy

Kate Molloy is an Instructional Designer with Atlantic Technological University. She has worked in education for twenty years and has extensive experience in learning design, critical ed tech, inclusive teaching, and open practice. Kate has co-authored two recent chapters on learning design. She is Chair of the Computers in Education Society of Ireland. Kate is a part-time PhD student in the School of STEM, Innovation and Global Studies at Dublin City University, and her research is focused on postdigital learning design and the experiences of Irish learning designers. You can find her on her website.

Victoria Pocus

Victoria is an Information Technology Systems Engineer with Bay Mills Community College, a tribal community college in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, and an alumna of MSU’s MAET program. With over a decade of experience in technology and web development, she works with members of her community, especially her parents who are language and cultural leaders, to leverage technologies and resources. Much of her work supports documenting, archiving, and sharing Indigenous knowledge frameworks, resources, and materials.
Jill Rivenburgh – Picture This Photography