Speaker: Frank Furnari
Frank has worked in Higher Ed IT since 1999 starting as a support technician and has moved up into different management positions. He has led Service Desk, Communication, Documentation, Training, and DEI functions in IT. During his tenure at BU, he’s helped manage three separate Exchange migrations and three Service Desk ticketing software implementations. He is a trained facilitator, Six Sigma Green Belt, and has earned several certifications including HDI Support Center Manager, Knowledge Centered Service (KCS), and ITIL, and PRINCE2. Frank holds a BA and MBA from BU. Frank has participated in and facilitated groups with The Boston Consortium for Higher Education, NERCOMP, and EDUCAUSE. In addition to his work in higher ed, Frank has volunteered with several area non-profits including service on the board of The Wellesley Players and on several committees at Trinity Church.


Speaker: Amber Vaill
Amber has served in leadership roles within private and public higher education institutions since 2007. She spent four years working at the executive leadership level; however, the majority of her experience, and her passion, falls in the educational technology area. Amber has led educational technology and online learning departments, created and led faculty development initiatives, managed an IT Help Desk and student-staffed Technology Support Center, and managed training and user support through two learning management system transitions. She has been actively involved in NERCOMP since 2011, serving on the Annual Conference program committee for many years and chairing the 2018 conference, and served on the NERCOMP Board of Trustees for four years. Before moving into higher education, Amber taught middle and high school for seven years. She currently serves as an officer on the Board of Directors for Here Today Adopted Tomorrow Animal Sanctuary and is the Historian for the Massachusetts State Grange.

Speaker: Colleen Wheeler
Colleen is a management consultant with expertise in leadership development, facilitation, and digital strategy. She creates programs and curricula that have been recognized and applied broadly at local, regional, national, and international levels.

True to her roots as a musician and teacher, she helps people reflect, play, and collaborate together—regardless of their location. Three programs she helped bring to life are: “Workshop Series for New Managers” to support early-stage leaders gain the knowledge and skills they need to succeed and thrive; “Susan Vogt Leadership Fellows Program” to build a living professional network that honors the work and spirit of a beloved colleague; and “Learning Organization Academy” to support library, IT, and other professionals wishing to transform their workplaces into vibrant learning organizations.

While serving on the Board of Trustees of NERCOMP (Northeast Regional Computing Program), Colleen oversaw professional development programming, membership outreach, and communications, and created the organization’s unique caucus-based program of instructional workshops.

Colleen is a Frye Institute Fellow, and a Klingenstein Summer Fellow (Teachers College Columbia University). A lifelong learner, she enjoys making art, poetry, gardens, food forests, and trombone music.