As AVP of Academic Product, I initially provided leadership and oversight for product enhancement, functionality, and viability, driving product and curriculum innovation and the human-focused design of new curriculum and delivery models used to educate in tech ed, while providing strategic direction, oversight, and execution in the following areas: Product Strategy & Program Development; Product Innovation, Lifecycle Management & Compliance; Operational Excellence & Cross-functional Partnerships; Stakeholder Engagement & Collaboration; Leadership, Talent Development, & Performance Management.
During program “teach out” I served as AVP over all of academics ensuring effective and efficient processes and operations for the full 11 months of the teach out.
During my time as Senior Director of Academic Operations at Kenzie Academy from Southern New Hampshire University, I accomplished the following:
Provided strategic oversight and leadership during acquisition and a period of rapid growth and transformation for all Professional Learning activities, Instructional Data Management, Instructional Systems Support, and Academic Operations.
Led the design and development of a comprehensive professional learning system through cross-functional collaboration, integrated with the SNHU performance management system, to improve staff experience and employee retention.
Designed and established a faculty observation & feedback process as part of an overall performance management system to support ongoing instructional improvement in a semi-synchronous online learning environment.
Documented and prepared materials for NECHE Accreditation relevant to standards 4, 6, & 8 (Academic Program; Teaching, Learning, & Scholarship; and Educational Effectiveness)
As Director of Educational Technology for Spring Branch ISD, I skillfully led a 14-person team to provide remote support & training for “emergency elearning” for the entire district (3500 teachers) during the Covid-19 pandemic. Prior to school closure, led development of a complete eLearning Basic Training course to support teachers in this transition. Additionally, I provided leadership that resulted in the following:
Doubled number of staff utilizing LMS and increased percentage of staff (over 70%) receiving 1-on-1 coaching within first semester of implementing a campus-based ed tech coaching role at 14 secondary campuses.
Development & Launch of Marketplace (online reference of all approved digital resources available to district) through cross-functional collaboration with Curriculum & IT with stakeholder and user input
Collaboration with Senior Leadership on development of multi-year multi-level Leadership Academy & district-wide vision for Transformational Teaching, Learning, & Leading
I am a Fellow of the 2018 cohort of Leadership ISD Harris County. Our work focuses on advancing educational excellence and equity by informing and connecting leaders to shape policy, lead strategically, and champion change. During our cohort year I led a workgroup focused on equity issues specific to our district’s 10 IR (Improved Required) campuses. https://leadershipisd.org/harris-county-fellows/
Between 2011 – 2013 I was actively involved in the design of the blended and personalized learning model of A+UP, the mobile middle school located in the Houston Museum District. The school website provides an overview of the learning model which is achieving outstanding results for the enrolled students: http://www.aplusup.org/
During the same time period, I also participated on a consulting team that worked with the U.S. Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) to realign their learning model with the construction of new campuses designed with flex-learning environments for all of their K-12 campuses located on U.S. military bases around the world. This .pdf provides an overview of some of the early planning sessions that occurred on this project: http://www.dodea.edu/edSpecs/upload/DoDEA_WS_2_Report.pdf
In 2012 the U.S. Department of Education collaborated with other organizations to launch an annual initiative called Connected Educators Month. I was one of the educators invited in the first year to be involved with the initiative:
Some of these Connected Educators, myself included, were quoted in documents published by the Department of Education’s Office of Educational Technology:
I am a very “connected educator” – https://twitter.com/ssandifer – with a global Personal Learning Network that I have been building, learning with/from, and collaborating with since 2006.
I was invited to co-author a chapter in a book on the use of digital tools for school leaders: http://www.wiley.com/WileyCDA/WileyTitle/productCd-1118022246.html. I know many of the other chapter authors personally (including the book editors) and have collaborated with some of them on various consulting projects as well on the development of a variety of conference sessions over the past decade.
Throughout my career I have incorporated technology into my work and I have always taught in a blended learning environment at the K-12 level. An example of my use of technology in a leadership position comes from the years I served as a Literacy Curriculum Specialist in HISD’s Office of Curriculum & Instruction. I initiated the use of a wiki to help organize the training and support we provided to our network of 90 Literacy Coaches and regional Literacy Specialists: https://literacyleads.wikispaces.com/
Over the past 10 years I have enjoyed presenting at conferences locally, across the state, and around the country. Over the past few years I have also been invited to be a distinguished speaker or Keynote speaker for a variety of conferences and regional professional development activities. Most recently I was invited to speak on a panel focused on Blended Learning at the 2016 ISTE Conference. Many of the resources from my conference sessions can be found on my wiki.
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