Presenters and Panelists for The Art of Big Data: Making Sense for Actionable Change Mike Hansen President Michigan Community College Association Lansing, Michigan Email: mhansen@mcca.org Mike Hansen is the President of the Michigan Community College Association (MCCA) where he works with the state s 28 community colleges to advance MCCA s public policy agenda. Prior to coming to the MCCA, Mike worked for the Michigan Senate Fiscal Agency where he was a chief analyst for Capital Outlay and Community Colleges. His professional background also includes teaching in the public schools. Mike has a B.A. from the University of Michigan and an M.A. from Michigan State University in Labor Relations. Russ Little Keynote Speaker Chief Innovation Officer Predictive Analytics Reporting (PAR) Framework Chapel Hill, North Carolina and Fairborn, Ohio Email: russ.little@parframework.org Chief Innovation Officer at PAR Framework, Russ Little is a recognized subject matter expert in the use of technology to address student success, retention and completion challenges, and most specifically on Integrated Planning and Advising Services (IPAS) and Learner Analytics. Russ is a frequent speaker and presenter on these topics at national conferences and events including Educause, Complete College America, and the League for Innovation. Russ holds a Master s Degree in Information Systems from Wright State University and a Bachelor s Degree in Management from Antioch University McGregor. Specialties: IPAS, Learner Analytics, Innovation, Strategic Planning, Software Development, Project Direction, Operations Management, Student Success, Retention, Student Completion, Curriculum Management, Process Improvement, Product Development, Technology
He is a certified project manager with more than 20 years experience as a higher education IT professional. He frequently presents on technical and higher education topics including IPAS, Analytics, Student Success, Retention, and Curriculum Development. Throughout his career, Russ has managed the development of numerous key projects that have been honored with national accolades and awards including the Student Success Plan and Curriculum Management Tool developed at Sinclair Community College. As an additional testament to the quality of his projects, Russ has been recognized three times as a key member for the "Innovation of the Year" award and he has received the Student Services Award of Excellence. Several software projects under his lead have been adopted by other colleges including the now Open Source, Student Success Plan. Kenneth Ender President Harper College Palatine, IL Email: kender@harpercollege.edu Dr. Kenneth Ender is President of William Rainey Harper College, a large community college located outside of Chicago, Illinois. Through partnerships and alliances, Dr. Ender has positioned Harper as a leading 21 st century community college by increasing graduation, transfer and certificate completion rates, aligning Harper's curriculum with high schools, training students for new economy jobs and implementing new accountability and transparency standards. Since coming to Harper in 2009, Harper has experienced record graduation rates and a dramatic increase in the number of students who come to Harper college-ready. The college has also formed new alliances with businesses to fill the shortage of skilled workers in key industries. Before coming to Harper, Dr. Ender served as President of Cumberland County College in New Jersey for eleven years. Previously, Dr. Ender held a variety of positions in higher education, including Vice President for Academic Affairs at Richland Community College, Interim District Dean at Cuyahoga Community College, Associate Vice President for Administrative Services at Cleveland State University, Director of Student Activities at Virginia Commonwealth University and Director of Student Advising at University of Georgia. Dr. Ender holds a Ph.D. in urban services leadership from Virginia Commonwealth University, a master s degree in education from the University of Georgia and a bachelor s degree in business management, also from Virginia Commonwealth University. 2
Dr. Ender serves on the Board of Directors of the American Association of Community Colleges; he is President of the Board of Directors of the Chicago Cook Workforce Partnership and co-chairs the Workforce Development Committee of the Illinois Council of Community College Presidents. Dr. Ender was invited to the January 2014 White House Summit focused on Increasing Opportunity for Low-Income Students and appointed to the Advanced Manufacturing Partnership (AMP 2.0) Steering Committee which is a work group of The President s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology. Dr. Ender is also a founding member of the Community College Workforce Consortium, which is a national consortium of community colleges focused on workforce development partnerships with industry. Dr. Ender is a frequent speaker at national conferences and forums on community college leadership, strategic planning, increasing student success and completion rates, workforce development, community engagement and increasing accountability and transparency in higher education. Dr. Ender enjoys golf, tennis, surf fishing and has completed 16 marathons. He lives in Inverness, Illinois with his wife Cathy and dogs Sammy and Sissy. Kurt Ewen Presidential Fellow Valencia College Sanford, Florida Email: Ewen.kurt@gmail.com A graduate of the Valencia Community College in 1984, Kurt returned to Valencia in 2001 as a professor of Philosophy/Humanities. Over the last 14 years his work has included the following roles: Faculty Coordinator of the Interdisciplinary Honors Program, Director of Institutional Assessment, AVP for Institutional Effectiveness and Planning, and Conference Chair/Program Host of The Community College Conference on Learning Assessment. Kurt currently serves a Presidential Fellow and works with Valencia s president, Sanford Shugart, on a range of special projects. Kurt s work at Valencia has included district-wide administrative responsibility for institutional research, institutional assessment, faculty and instructional development, Valencia s Teaching/Learning Academy, strategic and operational planning, state and 3
federal reporting, and regional accreditation with the Southern Association of College and Schools. Kurt is a recognized leader, speaker, and consultant on issues related to large-scale organizational change, student success and transfer readiness, institutional effectiveness, the use of data to improve student learning, faculty development, the assessment of student learning, and the emerging role of predictive analytics in higher education. Kurt lives in Sanford, Florida with his wife Jackie and their three rescue dogs. Karl Konsdorf MBA, CBIP Acting Director of Research, Analytics and Reporting Sinclair Community College Dayton, Ohio Email: karl.konsdorf@sinclair.edu Karl Konsdorf is the Acting Director of Research, Analytics and Reporting at Sinclair Community College. He is responsible for shaping the Business Intelligence (BI) strategy, architecture and budget for the college. In addition, he developed marketing and communication plans for the BI program for the institutions to ensure all constituents understand the value derived from business analytics. In 2008, Karl and his team of talented BI developers, programmers, and analysts received the Best Practices award for Government and Higher Education from the Data Warehousing Institute and the 2015 SAS Excellence in Education Award. Karl earned his bachelor s degree from Wright State University in Management Information Systems and his MBA from the University of Dayton. Aside from managing the Research, Analytics and Reporting Department, Karl has been an adjunct professor in the Computer Information Systems Department for over 12 years. He has taught courses in database management, systems analysis and design, Oracle programming, Intro to Computer Programming and Microsoft Office. Recently Karl developed a new course called Data Analytics, Theory and Solutions that focuses on data warehousing, business intelligence and data mining technologies and application. In 2010, Karl was presented the Adjunct Teacher of the Year award by the dean of business and public services. 4
Lisa Stich Vice President of Academic and Student Services West Shore Community College Scottville, Michigan Email: lkstich@westshore.edu Dr. Lisa Stich has served as Vice President of Academic and Student Services at West Shore Community College in Scottville, MI since 2011. She has over 25 years experience in higher education, with expertise in assessment, curriculum, teaching and learning, student success, technology, accreditation, institutional effectiveness and grants management. Lisa holds a Ph.D. in Education, with emphasis on leadership, organizational change and the community college from Capella University; an M.S. in Health Administration from Cardinal Stritch University; a B.S. in Health Records Administration from Emory University; and a B.A. from Ripon College. John Cowles Dean for Student Success and Retention Grand Rapids Community College Grand Rapids, Michigan Email: jcowles@grcc.edu Dr. John Cowles serves as Dean for Student Success and Retention at Grand Rapids Community College in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Student Success and Retention encompasses counseling and advising services, disability support services, developmental education, first-year experience, tutoring, Achieving the Dream and Title III initiatives. Cowles earned his associate s degree at Wabash Valley College in Mt. Carmel, Illinois and his Bachelor s in Restaurant and Hotel Management, Master s in Educational 5
Psychology/Higher Education and Doctorate in Workforce Education from Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, Illinois. Chris Baldwin Executive Director Michigan Center for Student Success Lansing, Michigan, Email: cbaldwin@mcca.org Dr. Chris Baldwin is the Executive Director of the Michigan Center for Student Success. Prior to accepting this new role in Michigan, Chris was a program director at Jobs for the Future (JFF) in Boston, MA where he co-directed the state policy component of Achieving the Dream and the Developmental Education Initiative. Through these initiatives, Chris worked with departments of higher education, community college system offices, and associations of community colleges in 16 states providing strategic advice and technical assistance concerning the adoption of state policies that support and encourage improved outcomes for community college students. Before joining JFF, Chris was vice president for government and community outreach at Owens Community College in northwest Ohio where he worked on state and national policy affecting community colleges. Chris has also served in a variety of governmental and advocacy positions over the past two decades, including a stint in the office of the Ohio governor. Chris has a Ph.D. in the higher education program from the University of Michigan. His research focuses on the tensions at community colleges between maintaining open-door access while also promoting student completion. He also holds a B.A. in political science and history from Baldwin-Wallace College and a M.A. in international studies from the Ohio University. 6