Kevin Kennedy

Kevin Kennedy is an instructional designer and educator with a passion for transforming teaching through thoughtful, inclusive, and research-informed uses of educational technology. With over a decade of classroom experience and years of faculty development work, Kevin brings a practitioner’s insight to topics such as digital pedagogy, equitable assessment, online and hybrid course design, and the human side of instructional innovation. His work emphasizes collaboration, accessibility, and the intentional integration of technology to support both student engagement and faculty empowerment.

Aura Lippincott

Aura Lippincott is an instructional designer at Western Connecticut State University, where she partners with faculty to design courses that foster student engagement, deepen learning, and reflect research-based best practices. She leads accessibility work on campus and co-leads the WCSU Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching, helping to ensure that learning environments are inclusive and supportive of all students. In addition to her campus role, Aura is an adjunct instructor at Post University, teaching a first-year course on digital skills, and at Fairfield University, teaching master’s degree courses on instructional development and the use of digital tools to build meaningful learning experiences.
Aura holds master’s degrees in Information Studies from UCLA and Educational Technology from San Diego State University, and is certified in Universal Design for Learning (CAST). She is co-editor of the Behavioral Pedagogies and Online Learning (2022), and has contributed to regional and statewide initiatives through her service with NERCOMP, the CSCU OER Advisory Council, and the Connecticut Open Educational Resources Coordinating Council. She is dedicated to helping faculty innovate in ways that enhance teaching, strengthen engagement, and expand access for all learners. Above all, she loves collaborating with colleagues and reaching across boundaries to make learning stronger together.

Josh Luckens

Joshua Luckens is an Instructional Designer with the Advancing Teaching, Learning, and Scholarship Center at the Wentworth Institute of Technology in Boston, MA. He partners with professors across the disciplines as an educational consultant, instructional coach, and faculty developer. In that capacity, he creates educational development opportunities for faculty by applying best practices from the scholarship of teaching and learning to course design and delivery.

Prior to Wentworth, he was a learning designer and teacher trainer at a model diplomacy organization, developed curriculum for and led study abroad programs across Latin America, and taught high school theatre and humanities. He holds an MA from Emerson College and a BA from Vassar College and served as a Fulbright Fellow in Colombia. Luckens is passionate about pedagogy and strives to create learning experiences that spark curiosity and open pathways for creative transformation.

 

 

Brian Salerno

Brian Salerno, EdD is the Executive Director of the Center for Digital Innovation in Learning (CDIL) at Boston College. Having spent over twenty-years in the field of digital learning and instructional design in higher education, he has been involved in the planning, design, development, and launch of dozens of online and hybrid programs as well as formed and managed several talented teams of learning designers and instructional technologists. Brian has developed significant expertise in the areas of instructional and multimedia design, educational technology, faculty development, online program management, and the digital transformation of teaching and learning.

Prior to his appointment as Executive Director in 2021, Brian served as the Director of Learning Design in CDIL, leading the learning design and instructional media teams responsible for partnering with BC faculty on the design and development of innovative and engaging online courses and programs. Prior to joining Boston College, he was the Director of Online Learning and Instructional Design at Brandeis University in Waltham, MA, where he established and led the Master of Science in Learning Experience Design program in the Rabb School of Continuing Studies. At Brandeis, Brian built an instructional design team that was recognized for its expertise in innovative teaching and learning practices and supported the development of new online programs and partnerships across the institution. He has held  similar roles at Quinnipiac University in Hamden, CT, University of New  Haven, in West Haven, CT, and Hesser/Mount Washington College in  Manchester, NH. In addition, Brian has taught and designed graduate and  undergraduate courses at several New England-area colleges and universities over the last two decades.  

Brian earned his bachelor's and master's degrees in interactive media from  Quinnipiac University and his Doctor of Education from the  Graduate School of Education at Northeastern University with a research focus on the impact of instructional design support on non-traditional faculty in the development of online learning experiences. Brian lives in Southern New Hampshire where he enjoys spending time with his two kids, going camping and hiking, and enjoying nature (a nice counter-balance to his technology focused career pursuits).

 

Kristen Ziska Strange

Krys Ziska Strange is the Associate Director of Faculty Development & Instructional Design at Tufts University, where she leads cross-functional teams implementing innovative teaching methodologies and educational technologies across multiple campuses. With extensive experience in educational technology leadership, she has overseen the lifecycle of more than 25 educational technologies and implemented data-driven improvements across 55 academic programs. Prior to Tufts, she developed faculty support programs and sustainable technology models at the University of Arizona.

As an active NERCOMP member, Krys has served as Vice Chair of the Annual Conference and participated on both the Professional Development and Community Relations committees. Her commitment extends to roles as a mentor, CLASS facilitator, and webinar facilitator. She excels at creating faculty learning communities and developing professional development programs that foster collaborative partnerships and drive institutional change.

Krys holds a Ph.D. in Curriculum & Instruction from Northern Arizona University, an MLIS from Wayne State University, and a BA in Creative Writing from Methodist University. This multidisciplinary background strengthens her expertise in educational technology and strategic planning.

Outside of work, Krys is an avid gamer with a decade of research on tabletop roleplaying games and enjoys everything from first-person shooters to farming simulations. A passionate reader, she especially enjoys discussing fantasy literature and brings this same enthusiasm to her vision for addressing emerging challenges in higher education technology through NERCOMP.