Karen Skudlarek M.A. – Keynote Speaker
Sr. Educational Technologist
University of Connecticut
Biography
Karen Skudlarek is a Senior Educational Technologist in the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning at the University of Connecticut. Karen works with instructors to ensure course accessibility through the use of technology, along with assisting them to create accessible content. She also evaluates new technologies to enhance teaching and learning as well as conducts training sessions with faculty on integrating technologies into their courses. During COVID, Karen offered over 120 training sessions to 1,800 faculty and staff at UConn. She has presented at various conferences such as Connecticut Education Network (CEN), The First-Year Experience, Association for Educational Communications and Technology Annual, Northeastern Research Association, and Mediasite Unleash. She serves on Digital Learning Advisory Council of Connecticut’s Commission for Educational Technology, CEN Engagement & Development Advisory Council, and a guest on the CSCU Accessibility Council. And starting next week, she will be starting a new position at UConn as the IT Accessibility Coordinator.
Christine Crefton
Project and Planning Analyst
Montgomery College
Passion in this space
Universal design benefits a wide range of people with varying learning styles, preferences and abilities.
Biography
Currently serving as a resource and support person for projects and programs in the Office of ELITE including: M.O.S.T. Commons, Microcredentials, Pressbooks, UN SDG Open Pedagogy Fellowship, and facilitating various Professional Development opportunities such as the 2020-2021 Presidential Innovation Leadership Institute. Christine is a doctoral candidate at Drexel University’s Educational Leadership and Management program with a concentration in Organization Development and Adult Learning. She has a master’s degree in Library Science and Information Systems from Drexel and a BA in Political Science from Villanova University.
Stacy Ford M.Ed.
Universal Design Center and Accessible Technology Coordinator
Montgomery College
Biography
Stacy Ford is the Universal Design Center and Accessible Technology Coordinator at Montgomery College in Maryland, responsible for empowering others in breaking down barriers and building inclusive environments through providing professional development, access to tools and resources, and through action research. Her background experience includes music education, marketing, disability services, instructional technology, and change management. She holds a M.Ed. in Instructional Design Technology from East Stroudsburg University.
Katie Kirk Haag, M.Ed.
Counselor, Disability Support Services
Montgomery College
Biography
Katie has been working at MC in DSS for eight years. She worked previously in an international K-12 school, an Alumni Association of a large university, a small private college, and a Rape Crisis Center. She’s a graduate of UT Austin and the College of St. Catherine in Minnesota, a licensed counselor, a mom to three young adults, and an active member in a Unitarian Universalist Community.
Jacy Hildreth, MA., LCPC, NCC
Counselor, Disability Support Services
Montgomery College
Biography
Jacy has been working at Montgomery College for over 15 years as a counselor, 8 of those years as a Disability Support Services counselor. She has also taught several courses in student development. She has previously worked with individuals with severe mental illness and as a crisis counselor. She is passionate about helping students who have disabilities to succeed. She is a licensed counselor and mom to a ten and 14-year-old.
Stephanie Landon MATESOL
Associate Professor
Montgomery College
Passion in this space
Considering UDL in ESOL; Considering UDL in Writing Courses; UDL across the disciplines to meet the needs of non-native English-speaking students.
Biography
At Montgomery College since 2018, Stephanie Landon is an Associate Professor and the Writing Skills Coordinator in the ELAP department on the Rockville campus. She has participated in the Many Voices, One College (MVOC) Faculty Fellows, and is an elected member of the Rockville Faculty Senate. Professor Landon has taught English language and managed ESOL programs both in the U.S. and abroad and is honored to currently work in a college community focused on radical inclusion, having spent much of her career advocating for the inclusion of immigrant and international student needs in collegewide decision-making.
Paul D. Miller, Ed. D.
Professional Development Director
Montgomery College
Biography
Paul D. Miller has extensive experience in STEM instruction; K-12 curriculum development; instructional design and teaching methodologies; project evaluation; inclusive professional learning/development; instructional technology integration; instructional systems development; program implementation fidelity and evaluation; and over $34 million in federal and state grant facilitation and management. He has worked with school systems in 28 states and presented internationally at conferences on cooperative learning models, scaling programs for enhanced math achievement, effective leadership coaching practices, professional development, competency-based learning, and technology integration to support teaching and learning.
From 2007 to 2018, Dr. Miller worked at the Success for All Foundation and Johns Hopkins University, where he led the development of technology-based learning materials (for reading and mathematics), piloted web-based professional development and personalized learning systems, developed training workshops for teachers and administrators, and managed teams to develop early childhood program materials in partnership with Sesame Workshop, Inc.
Before joining Montgomery College, Dr. Miller has served as Director of Strategic Operations/Section Chief for Monitoring and Accountability for the Maryland State Department of Education’s Division of Early Intervention and Special Education Services, where he led the design and development of a statewide micro-credentialing program and provided professional development support for the integration of specially designed instruction within an inclusive environment to meet the needs of students with disabilities.
Dr. Miller holds an Ed.D. with a focus on Instructional Design for Online Teaching and Learning from Johns Hopkins University and an M.A. in Instructional Systems Development from the University of Maryland Baltimore County.
Kristen J. Roe, M. Counseling
Interim Director of ADA Compliance and Title IX and Youth Protection Coordinator
Montgomery College
Biography
Kristen Roe joined Montgomery College in 2015 when she was tasked with creating the College’s youth protection program. In 2017 she assumed additional responsibilities related to Title IX. She is a member of the Office of Compliance, Risk & Ethics. In March 2022 Kristen Roe transitioned from the Deputy role into the Interim Director of ADA Compliance and Title IX and Youth Protection Coordinator. She serves in a leadership role for the College’s ADA Self-Evaluation project. Kristen has a Masters in Counseling from Johns Hopkins University (2010), with an emphasis in school counseling and completed her undergraduate work at the University of California, Davis (B.A. Psychology, 1996). She currently volunteers as a mentor to expectant and parenting college students through Generation Hope. She is a certified Civil Rights Investigator.
Kathryn Weber-Hottleman M.A.
Accessibility Consultant
Deque Systems, Inc.
Biography
Kathryn Weber-Hottleman is an Accessibility Consultant with Deque Systems, Inc. She specializes in guiding clients to further their digital accessibility understanding and application to client systems. Prior to this, Kathryn served as the University of Connecticut’s IT Accessibility Coordinator, where she developed and implemented an organization-wide digital accessibility program. As part of this program, she trained faculty and staff on software related to accessible technology and instruction for students and employees with disabilities. Kathryn holds a CPWA certification from the International Association of Accessibility Professionals (IAAP) and helped pilot the IAAP’s Accessible Document Specialist certification.