Mary Lou Forward is the Executive Director of the OpenCourseWare Consortium, providing leadership for the organization’s efforts to support OpenCourseWare use and development globally. Prior to joining the Consortium, she served as Dean of African Studies for SIT Study Abroad. In that role, she provided academic and strategic leadership for 29 programs across the African continent, leading SIT’s incorporation of technology and distance learning in international programming and developing innovative opportunities to collaborate across countries and between diverse student groups. Prior to that position, Mary Lou served as Academic Director for undergraduate programs in Madagascar, focused on Environmental Studies and Cultural Geography. She has also worked on community-based development in Africa, with an emphasis on the incorporation of appropriate technologies and sustainable resources in small-scale enterprise development.
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About the Author: Patrick Blessinger
Dr. Patrick Blessinger is an adjunct associate professor of education at St. John's University, a math and science teacher with the New York State Education Department, and chief research scientist of the International Higher Education Teaching and Learning Association (in consultative status with the United Nations). Dr. Blessinger is the editor and author of many books and articles and he is an educational policy analyst and contributing writer with UNESCO's Inclusive Policy Lab, University World News, The Hechinger Report, and Higher Education Tomorrow, among others. Dr. Blessinger teaches courses in education, leadership, and research methods and he serves on doctoral dissertation committees. Dr. Blessinger has been involved with accreditation certification for universities and colleges and he has been involved in various educational consulting projects. Dr. Blessinger provides professional development workshops and classes to teachers and educational leaders and regularly gives presentations at academic conferences around the world. Dr. Blessinger has received several educational awards, including: Fulbright Senior Scholar to Denmark (Department of State, USA), Governor’s Teaching Fellow (Institute of Higher Education, University of Georgia, USA), and Certified Educator (National Geographic Society, USA).