Gwen Athene Tarbox

Director, Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning

gwen.tarbox@uconn.edu

Gwen is the Director of the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning at the University of Connecticut. Her areas of expertise include equitable and accessible teaching practices, student engagement strategies, faculty professional development, and the impact of artificial intelligence on higher education. Working in collaboration with the CETL leadership team, Gwen helps provide teaching and learning support across all five campuses in the UConn system.

As a Professor Emerita of English at Western Michigan University, Gwen brings extensive experience educational development and scholarly research. She holds a Ph.D. in English from Purdue University, with publications focused on American culture, comics studies, children's literature, and pedagogy. She served two terms as the Director of Graduate Studies in the Department of English at WMU, and she has sat on the boards of the Children’s Literature Association and Michigan for Public Education.

Kathleen Carnelli

Assistant to the Director, CETL

(860) 486-0457
kathleen.carnelli@uconn.edu

Kathleen provides direct administrative support to the Director of CETL including calendar management, meeting coordination, and managing day to day inquiries and correspondence.

Daniel Facchinetti

Director of Educational Technologies

(860) 486-5799
daniel.facchinetti@uconn.edu

Dan oversees the operations of the Educational Technologies Office and leads support across the university on the use of HuskyCT, video conferencing, recording technologies, student response systems, and other educational technology platforms as part of teaching across all modalities. Dan also leads EdTech's involvement in the evaluation and implementation of new products and platforms that might benefit students and instructors.

Jordan Vinikoor

Educational Technologist

(860) 486-1760
jordan.vinikoor@uconn.edu

Jordan supports faculty in their use and adoption of a wide array of educational technologies including HuskyCT, Webex, Kaltura, Voicethread, and many others. He assists with the daily support EdTech provides to the university, offers workshops, develops online resources, and holds one-on-one consultations of a wide variety of EdTech matters.

Vacant

Director of Faculty Development

Tina Huey

Interim Director of Faculty Development

tina.huey@uconn.edu

In workshops and one-on-one consultations with faculty, graduate students, and staff, Tina facilitates reflective practice to support continuous development of teaching methods and course design. She is particularly interested in designing activities to enhance student engagement, meta-cognition, and classroom community.

Martina Rosenberg

Director of Teaching and Learning Assessment

860-486-0505
martina.rosenberg@uconn.edu

Martina provides academic units with guidance on meaningful Assessment of Teaching Effectiveness (ATE, f.k.a. SET+) and equitable course assessment practices. Through, initiatives, workshops, and consultations she is promoting evidence-based pedagogy, scholarly teaching, scholarship in education and professional growth for faculty, staff and graduate students. She is leading the HHMI funded Inclusive Excellence team at UConn, one example of her engagement in organizational learning.

Xiaochen Liu, PhD

Faculty Development Specialist

xiaochen.liu@uconn.edu

Xiaochen works with faculty and teaching assistants at UConn and provides support remotely to faculty, students and staff at Schwarzman College--Tsinghua University. Her primary focus is on pedagogically aligned educational technologies for in-person, hybrid, and remote learning, and effective utilization of the Blackboard Learning Management System to enhance student learning outcomes.

Rachel Prunier

Director for Teaching and Learning in the Life and Physical Sciences
Lecturer in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

860-486-0472
rachel.prunier@uconn.edu

Rachel is co-appointed between CETL and CLAS. In her role at CETL she focusses on helping graduate students and faculty teaching large courses to develop and refine their teaching practices to make their classes more inclusive. She is particularly passionate about supporting novice TAs and empowering them to lead active, student-centered classrooms. She also supports experienced graduate students and post-docs who are preparing for their teaching careers at UConn and beyond.

Stacey Valliere

Admin. Assistant for Faculty Development

(860) 486-2686
stacey.valliere@uconn.edu

Stacey provides direct support to the directors of the Faculty Development Program, coordinates FDP meetings as well as teaching seminars, orientations, and receptions.

Andi Kent, PhD

(they/them/theirs)
Assistant Director of Faculty Development

andi.kent@uconn.edu 

Andi joined UConn and CETL in October 2024 after over a decade as a Political Science professor. Their interests in teaching and learning are broad - including new course design, creating accessible learning spaces and using games in the classroom. An ultimate cheerleader for creative and thoughtful teaching, Andi participates in all types of teaching and learning activities including individual consultation, learning community-type small-group programming and campus-wide initiatives. Because of their experience at regional, teaching institutions, Andi works closely with UConn's regional campuses in Avery Point, Hartford, Stamford and Waterbury.

Luiza Printes Dos Santos

Academic Specialist

luiza.printes_dos_santos@uconn.edu

Luiza is a multimedia artist and educator who specializes in digital media applications for teaching and learning. At CETL, she leads workshops on digital media literacy, empowering faculty to integrate visual storytelling and digital tools into their courses.

Michael Finiguerra, PhD

Associate Professor in Residence, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

(860) 405-9082
michael.finiguerra@uconn.edu

Michael is an Associate Professor in Residence in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology.  Michael helps instructors, with a focus on graduate students, develop better assessment strategies and understand the current undergraduate population. His latest project involves improving student success for campus change students through peer mentoring. 

Jamie Kleinman, PhD

Associate Professor in Residence, Psychological Sciences

(860) 405-9216
jamie.kleinman@uconn.edu

Jamie Kleinman is an Associate Professor in Residence in Psychology and one of two University Assessment Faculty Fellows.  Her interests include developing hands-on learning activities, multi-media tools, and specifications grading to create a learning environment that promotes curiosity, engagement, and analysis.

Lina, Kloub, Ph.D

Assistant Professor in Residence, School of Computing

lina.kloub@uconn.edu

Lina is an Assistant Professor in Residence at School of Computing. In her work with CETL, Lina helps instructors integrate AI into their pedagogy, addressing both opportunities and challenges to enhance educational practices. Her work focuses on student engagement, inclusivity, and career readiness through AI-driven teaching and learning. 

Milagros Castillo-Montoya, EdD

Associate Professor, Higher Education and Student Affairs

(860) 486-3250
milagros.castillo-montoya@uconn.edu

Milagros is an Associate Professor in Educational Leadership in the Neag School of Education.  Milagros' focus is on inclusive teaching in college classrooms, particularly in terms of enhancing the learning experience for racially minoritized students.

Sarira Motaref, Ph.D., P.E.

Associate Professor in Residence, Civil and Environmental Engineering

(860) 486-2731
sarira.motaref@uconn.edu

Sarira is an Associate Professor in Residence in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering in the School of Engineering (SOE).  She provides thought leadership throughout the School of Engineering to enhance teaching and learning outcomes in engineering courses and SOE Professional Education programs.

Qazi Arka Rahman

Visiting Assistant Professor, Department of Social and Critical Inquiry

(959) 200-3808
qazi_arka.rahman@uconn.edu

Qazi Arka Rahman investigates the convergence of artificial intelligence, digital humanities, and critical pedagogy – with particular attention to epistemological frameworks that govern technological engagement in higher education. Arka advocates for approaches to AI that balance critical reflection, innovation, and pragmatism. His work includes designing AI-focused libguide and academic materials, facilitating workshops on responsible AI usage, and curating digital projects that bridge technology and humanistic inquiry. He collaborates with faculty to develop resources and strategies for integrating AI into their courses while considering disciplinary integrity.

John Redden, PhD

Associate Professor in Residence, Physiology and Neurobiology

(860) 486-4708
john.redden@uconn.edu

John is an Associate Professor in Residence in the department of Physiology and Neurobiology.  In his work with CETL, John provides thought leadership about how to elevate teaching and learning outcomes in large courses through active learning and integration of educational technologies.  

Noga Shemer, PhD

Assistant Professor in Residence, Anthropology

(860) 486-2137
noga.shemer@uconn.edu

Noga is an Assistant Professor in Residence in Anthropology.  Noga's focus is on issues related to diversity, equity, and inclusion in the classroom.

Desmond McCaffrey

Director, UConn Online

(860) 486-3121
desmond.mccaffrey@uconn.edu

Desmond oversees UConn initiatives related to the design, development, delivery, and ongoing support of quality online courses and programs. He leads the eCampus Instructional Design unit's faculty development and training initiatives and collaborates with University academic and administrative units to align UConn Online and eCampus efforts with UConn's mission, vision, and values.

Cheryl Sellers

Administrative Assistant

(860) 486-2364
cheryl.sellers@uconn.edu

Cheryl provides direct support to eCampus administrators and staff, and administrative support for faculty working with eCampus staff, including coordination of calendars and eCampus meetings. She also maintains online course databases.

Heather Breittholz (Ph.D.)

Instructional Designer

heather.breittholz@uconn.edu

Heather collaborates with faculty to design and develop student-centered instruction for online and hybrid/blended courses. She is particularly interested in faculty engagement and satisfaction when teaching online with emerging technologies within higher education.

Betsy Guala

Instructional Designer

betsy.guala@uconn.edu

Betsy collaborates with faculty to design and develop student-centered instruction for fully online, hyrbrid/blended, and flipped courses. She is particularly interested in Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and making educational experiences accessible to all learners.

Cathy Healy

Instructional Designer

catherine.healy@uconn.edu

Cathy works with faculty to design and develop high-quality online and hybrid courses for students. In addition, she collaborates with her eCampus colleagues to develop and facilitate faculty development workshops on a variety of topics related to online teaching and learning.

David Morrow

Assistant Director, eLearning
eLearning Developer

david.morrow@uconn.edu

David works with faculty and instructional design staff to develop and implement online and blended courses. He recommends and implements instructional solutions through the use of technology grounded in educational theory and instructional design precepts.

Jennifer Parker

Instructional Designer

jennifer.parker@uconn.edu

Jennifer provides faculty instructional design and technology support for the creation and implementation of online, hybrid, and flipped courses.

Timothy Stubbs

Instructional Designer

timothy.stubbs@uconn.edu

Tim collaborates with faculty members to design and develop online and blended courses.

Eileen Stuyniski

Assistant Director, Instructional Design
Instructional Designer

eileen.stuyniski@uconn.edu

Eileen uses her pedagogical and technological expertise to collaborate with UConn faculty as they transform their traditional face-to-face courses and programs into high quality online and blended learning experiences.

Zack Goldberg

Instructional Designer

zachary.goldberg@uconn.edu

As an instructional designer with over 15 years of classroom and online teaching and instructional design, Zack collaborates with faculty members to design and develop student-centered online and hybrid/blended courses.

Kelsey Keefe

eLearning Developer

kelsey.keefe@uconn.edu

Kelsey provides instructional development support by analyzing and creating innovative, technology-based, instructional solutions for various educational settings and needs using educational technology and instructional design methods.

Donna Lee Campbell

Enrollment Service Specialist

(860) 486-0184
donna.campbell@uconn.ed

Donna works with program partners to implement Customer Relationship Management (CRM) plans for graduate certificate programs. She works to ensure consistency and transparency in the enrollment inquiry process and supports faculty and staff in promoting student retention and success.

Neal Olderman

Director, State Authorization

(860) 486-0928
neal.olderman@uconn.edu

Neal is responsible for securing state authorization for UConn’s distance learning programs.  He works closely with eCampus staff, Academic Program Directors, Office of General Counsel, Office of the Provost, and various state regulatory and professional licensure boards.

William Page

Director of Marketing

(860) 486-0692
william.page@uconn.edu

Bill provides consultation, planning and implementation for CETL and its partners concerning market research, marketing plans, search engine optimization (SEO), customer relationship management (CRM), digital advertising, website development, tracking and analysis.

Susan Schadt

Director of Web Design and Digital Strategy, Lead Designer

(860) 486-5652
susan.schadt@uconn.edu

Sue drives the planning and execution of website site development and creative digital solutions using best practices in SEO, CRM, SEM, LPO, etc. And further, serves as a lead in the engineering and implementation of marketing strategy supporting the engagement and communication plans of CETL units and its partners.

Brian Schremser

Enrollment Support Specialist

(860) 786-9188
brian.schremser@uconn.edu

Brian serves as the primary contact for prospective students interested in UConn’s online graduate programs. In collaboration with faculty and other campus partners, he guides students through the enrollment process from first inquiry to application completion. Additionally, he uses his knowledge and experience with the customer relationship management (CRM) system to implement process improvements and develop enrollment service strategies to enhance student satisfaction.

Jessica Goldfarb

Academic Advisor, Masters in Data Science Program

(860) 770-0092
jessica.goldfarb@uconn.edu

Jessica works directly with the students and faculty in the on-campus and online MS Data Science programs from the recruitment and admissions process through course registration, plans of study, and graduation. Jess also supports the administrative needs of the program.

William Wan

Data Systems Analyst, Office of Summer and Winter Programs

(860) 486-6179
william.wan@uconn.edu

William works closely with the Office of Summer and Winter programs, overseeing data analysis that informs decision making in relation to scheduling and enrollments, as well as supporting other CETL-wide needs in relation to data analysis, dashboard measures, and reporting.

Jeff Winston

Director Nexus Student Success Platform

(860) 486-2801
jeffrey.winston@uconn.edu

Jeff is the architect of Nexus UConn’s student success platform. He provides operational support for Nexus, and works closely with the academic advising community at UConn to continually enhance the capabilities of Nexus for students and academic advisors. Jeff is responsible for the development and maintenance of applications related to data capturing, sharing, and analysis, in support of faculty and TA training programs (FINS) and university advising practice.

Ruth Kustoff

Director, Office of Continuing and Professional Education

(860) 486-2681

ruth.kustoff@uconn.edu

Ruth oversees noncredit professional development of UConn’s closed enrollment and MOOC programs. She leads the Office of Continuing and Professional Education, providing centralized support to existing continuing education and professional development programs, as well as developing new noncredit programs that include online short courses, webinars, podcasts, and upskilling and reskilling offerings to meet business’ workforce development needs.

Gordon Daigle

Director of Media Production 

(860) 486-2472
gordon.daigle@uconn.edu

Gordon works with faculty and staff to produce custom, high-definition media in support of education and instruction, and in support of eCampus supported academic programs.

Michael Illuzzi

Media Producer

(860) 486-1759
michael.illuzzi@uconn.edu

Mike works with faculty and staff to produce custom, high-definition media in support of education and instruction, and in support of eCampus supported academic programs.

Christopher Todd

Executive Director, OECP

(860) 486-8828
christopher.todd@uconn.edu

Christopher provides leadership and support to the Office of Early College Programs staff, faculty and ECE instructors on behalf of Connecticut schools, districts and students. He is responsible for providing unit-wide vision and strategic direction, assuring academic oversight of high school partner programs and coordination with UConn academic departments regarding standards and course comparability.

Melanie Banks

Program Assistant, Academic Standards

(860) 486-3419
Email: melanie.ochoa@uconn.edu

Melanie Ochoa is the Program Assistant for Academic Standards at the Office of Early College Programs. Melanie is responsible for supporting accreditation standards by the National Alliance of Concurrent Enrollment Partnerships to improve course comparability of the UConn courses offered at the high schools.

Nella Quasnitschka

Associate Director OECP

(860) 486-5581
nella.quasnitschka@uconn.edu

Nella is responsible for developing and strengthening the Early College Experience Program's academic relationships with the more than 170 partner high schools throughout Connecticut.  In addition, she provides leadership for UConn's Pre-College Summer Program.

Todd Blodgett

Program Asst, Registration Coord. OECP

(860) 486-0702
todd.blodgett@uconn.edu

Todd is responsible for coordinating the registration process of ECE courses with partner high schools and facilitates course creation with the Registrar's Office.

Jessica Dunn

Registration Specialist, OECP

(860) 486-4650
jessica.dunn@uconn.edu

Jessica is the Registration Specialist for the Early College Experience Program (ECE). Jessica is responsible for managing the student registration process, and providing program and administrative support to ECE students and faculty.

Stefanie Malinoski

Instructor Certification Coordinator

(860) 486-1045
stefanie.malinoski@uconn.edu

Stefanie is responsible for maintaining program records and ECE professional development workshops. She also manages the instructor certification process.

Carissa Rutkauskas

Program Coordinator for Outreach and Evaluation, OECP

(860) 486-6055
carissa rutkauskas@uconn.edu

Carissa responsibilities include program assessment, evaluation, and research initiatives for OECP; program information and national trends; developing programs at the high school level; and OECP website and marketing coordination.

Erin Blanchette

Billing & Operations Specialist

erin.blanchette@uconn.edu

Erin Blanchette is the Billing & Operations Specialist in the Office of Early College Programs. Erin is responsible for managing the student billing and financial records for ECE students and for the financial operations for ECE and Pre-College Summer Programs. Erin attended the University of Connecticut where she earned Bachelor's degree.

Mick Pigott

Executive Director, Office of Summer and Winter Programs

(860) 486-2721
mick.pigott@uconn.edu

Mick provides leadership, support, and strategic direction for the university’s summer and winter terms. He is responsible for managing a broad range of collaborative efforts between university leadership, faculty, staff, and public stakeholders, to ensure the efficient operation and success of all summer/winter programs.

Kelly O'Meara

Business Manager, Office of Summer
and Winter Programs

(860) 486-1967
kelly.racine@uconn.edu

Kelly serves as liaison for student and business services with Regional Campuses, Schools and Colleges, and University central offices.  She supports operational and financial areas, oversees faculty payroll, and assists departments in planning and scheduling offerings.

David Colberg

Faculty Contracts Coordinator, Office of Summer and Winter Programs

(860) 486-4842
david.colberg@uconn.edu

Dave is the Faculty Contracts Coordinator for the Office of Summer and Winter Programs. His responsibilities include working with human resources, payroll, and labor relations to coordinate special payroll authorizations, instructor and teaching assistant offers, and associated onboarding procedures. Dave is also involved in the day-to-day operations of the program.

Jack Greenwood Jr.

Program Assistant, Office of Summer and Winter Programs

(860) 486-3122
jack.greenwood_jr@uconn.edu

Jack assists with daily business and programmatic operations in the Office of Summer and Winter Programs.  His responsibilities include the coordination of Summer & Winter communications, assistance with marketing campaigns, maintenance of all Summer & Winter website content, as well as assisting the office with research and data analytic projects.

Lauren Schlesselman

Executive Director, Academic Program Assessment

laurens@uconn.edu

Lauren provides support for undergraduate and graduate academic programs on their assessment needs across a wide range of activities. She often works with programs on defining objectives and measures of student success, developing key performance indicators, and mapping the curriculum; expanding curricular awareness and supporting curricular revision; increasing data access and awareness. Lauren assists programs with specialized accreditation with their assessment activities. She also oversees the UASCEND grant funded by the Davis Educational Foundation.

Sally Chamberland

Assistant Director, Academic Program Assessment

sally.chamberland@uconn.edu

Sally provides support for faculty on the assessment of academic programs, in particular assessment of the Common Curriculum. She offers assessment-related professional development training, including the use of Blackboard EAC and reflection on assessment data. Sally guides faculty across different academic disciplines in the alignment of direct and indirect measures of assessments to academic program and Common Curriculum objectives.

Amit Savkar

Director, Q Center

(860) 486-1961
amit.savkar@uconn.edu

Amit is the director of the Quantitative Learning Center.  He supervises the educational operations of the Q Center - tutoring, workshops, review sessions, training programs - and provides feedback for academic departments across the university about their quantitative courses based on the visitor data gathered at the Q Center.

Diane Briody

Program Coordinator, Q Center

(860) 486-1961
diane.briody@uconn.edu

Diane coordinates the day-to-day operations of the Q Center. She handles the hiring, supervising and scheduling of the tutoring staff, manages the budget, organizes review sessions, and facilitates training workshops for tutors.

Tom Deans

Director, Writing Center

(860) 486-9728
tom.deans@uconn.edu

Tom oversees all Writing Center operations and leads workshops for faculty and graduate instructors on how they might more effectively teach writing in the disciplines; he is also a professor in the English Department, where he teaches courses in writing, rhetoric, and literature.

Kathleen Tonry

Associate Director, Writing Center

(860) 486-9104
kathleen.tonry@uconn.edu

Kathleen leads tutor staff development and training. She is also a professor in the English department, with research interests in medieval literature and Writing Center studies.

Alexander Menrisky

Interim Associate Director, Writing Center

alexander.menrisky@uconn.edu

Alex leads tutor staff hiring, training, and development. He is also an assistant professor in the Department of English department, with research interests and teaching responsibilities in environmental rhetoric and literature.

Margaret Bugingo

Educational Program Coordinator, Writing Center

margaret.bugingo@uconn.edu

Margaret coordinates the day-to-day operations of the Writing Center. She manages budget and personnel, maintains the website and social media, organizes events, facilitates workshops, and works to foster an inclusive and accessible environment for all writers.