General Session Keynote
Tuesday, March 19
9:00 - 10:00 AM
Ahrash N. Bissell
President, The NROC Project
Timi Creekmore
Director, Texas College Bridge, The Commit Partnership
Erica Shoulders-Royster
Program Administrator, Career and College Ready Graduate, Office of Innovation, North Carolina Department of Public Instruction
Kristin Oakes
Dean, Teaching, Learning, and Academic Support, Ivy Tech Community College, Lafayette Campus
Keynote Address
Taking Effective Innovations to Scale: Lessons From Three States
Texas College Bridge. The Career and College Ready Graduate Program in North Carolina. Ivy Tech’s Knowledge Assessment Model in Indiana. These innovative programs all deploy modern technology-centered approaches to positively transforming student pathways to postsecondary readiness and success. More importantly, they have all achieved the ultimate goal of taking these successful models to systemwide or statewide scale.
This panel discussion will be moderated by The NROC Project, a nonprofit organization that partners with educational institutions and agencies to imagine, develop, test, and refine technologies that improve student readiness, retention, and success. We will hear from project leaders who will share insights about the mix of hurdles and drivers—legal, technical, logistical, and otherwise—that were key considerations when it came to moving from concept to implementation to scale. Stop piloting and start scaling. Come learn how.
Biographies
Ahrash N. Bissell
Ahrash N. Bissell, Ph.D., is President of The NROC Project, a nonprofit organization that collaborates with educators and partner institutions in the U.S. to build technologies that improve student success. For much of the prior decade, he codesigned and managed the development for EdReady, a platform for personalized learning that is helping to substantially improve student readiness for college and career aspirations nationwide. Bissell continues to coordinate research, advocacy, and innovation activities related to open educational practices, educational technologies, and sustainability, both internally and in collaboration with projects and colleagues across the field. He also serves on the board of Peer 2 Peer University as well as Qubes, with special foci on science and math (STEM) disciplines, open educational resources (OER), and data-sharing.
Timi Creekmore
Timi Creekmore has 25+ years of experience in public education, both at the K-12 and higher education levels. Her passion for helping students led her to The Commit Partnership, where she came on board in 2020 to lead the Texas College Bridge college preparatory program shortly after its inception. Texas College Bridge offers an avenue through EdReady, powered by NROC, for students to prepare for college, earn an exemption from college entrance exams, and enroll directly into entry-level college courses. Her hope is for every student to have the opportunity to learn, grow, and live successful lives.
Erica Shoulders-Royster
Dr. Erica Shoulders-Royster is a first-generation college graduate who believes that every child deserves access to high-quality learning opportunities—not by chance, but by design. She entered the educational field in a nontraditional manner as a Teach for America Corps Member. In her first assignment, she served as a fourth-grade teacher at the lowest performing elementary school in North Carolina. During her time in the classroom, she embraced her passion and realized her purpose of being a lifelong educator. Shoulders-Royster has served in many different roles over the years. She is a Northeast Leadership Academy Fellow at North Carolina State University. Shoulders-Royster most recently served as Principal of Franklin County Early College High School. Her distinguished tenure included leading her school to the distinction of being the first and only Franklin County School District school to earn and maintain an “A” grade.
Shoulders-Royster believes that her success is due to her faith, dedication and passion for education, and collaborative teamwork. She takes her love for learning and resilience everywhere she goes. Shoulders-Royster currently serves as the Career and College Ready Graduate Program Administrator at the NCDPI. She is passionate about this work because she is responsible for ensuring that students are ready for college and do not have to take remedial courses. Shoulders-Royster is a proud wife and mother of five.
Kristin Oakes
Dr. Kristin Oakes is an associate professor; she has been involved in the development of the math pathways and the corequisite math course for the Quantitative Reasoning course. She has also been involved in the development of alternate college readiness programs and college placement methods, including Ivy Prep and Knowledge Assessment (KA). Oakes currently serves on both the local and statewide KA teams. She is passionate about working to remove barriers for students and supporting their success. This quote by James Kouzes has often reflected her work at Ivy Tech: "It always takes a group of people working together with a common purpose in an atmosphere of trust and collaboration to get extraordinary things done." Oakes enjoys traveling and spending time with her family.
