Meet the Course Instructors

 Dr. Michele Forte is Assistant Professor and Mentor at Empire State College. She teaches Community and Human Services and is co-Project Manager for the Student Supports Initiatives for Open SUNY.  She has been involved in the development of SUNY REAL as a member of a Lumina funded project, serving on the faculty team that developed the Global Learning Qualifications Framework (GLQF).  Her teaching background includes 12 years at SUNY Albany in Project Renaissance, an innovative freshman-year experience program.  Her doctoral degree from the University at Albany is interdisciplinary, with a focus on social welfare and women’s studies.

Kelly Hermann is the Director of Disability Services at Empire State College. She is responsible for ensuring that all students with disabilities are granted equal access to the college’s programs ‌and studies. She updates college faculty and staff on issues regarding the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, lends support and expertise to the disability representatives at centers, and reviews documentation and determines accommodations when necessary. She has a M.S. Ed. in communication disorders and is pursuing a Ph.D. in educational administration and policy studies. Kelly served as the chair of the public policy standing committee of the Association on Higher Education and Disability (AHEAD) from 2009-2013 and is the current co-chair of the online and distance learning special interest group.  She has frequently presented on issues of accessibility in online and distance education at national conferences, including AHEAD and the Online Learning Consortium.  

Dr. Kathleen Stone was Director for Curriculum and Instructional Design in the Center for Distance Learning (CDL) at SUNY Empire State College. She provided leadership for the Curriculum and Instructional Design (CID) team. The CID team supports faculty in the development, design, and revision of all online courses within the CDL curriculum and supports instructor development and training of over 500 adjunct instructors. Kathleen led the college in the development of processes and procedures for ensuring all 500 online courses offered meet accessibility guidelines. She served on the FACT2 Online Accessibility Task Group and coordinated the FACT2 Symposium: Accessibility: Designing Access for All Learners. Kathleen received an A.S. in Math/Science, B.S. in Geology, M.S. in Adult Education, and Ed.D in Higher Education and Adult Learning. She recently took a position at Western Governors University as Director of Curriculum for the College of Business. 

Ginger Bidell is an Instructional Designer at SUNY Buffalo State. She supports faculty in the development and design of online, blended, and face-to-face courses using the principles of Universal Design for Learning and accessibility best practices. Ginger holds a B.S. in Elementary and Social Studies Education and an M.S. in Curriculum and Instruction. Ginger served on the FACT2 Online Accessibility Task Group in 2014 where she helped to develop an accessibility website. Ginger has also co-presented accessibility webinars for the SUNY Center for Professional Development.

Dr. Antonia (Tonka) Jokelova is Coordinator of Curriculum and Instructional Design at Empire State College. Tonka provides instructional design support to multiple areas of study. She is also a designated contact for accessibility issues in online courses, coordinator of the developer workshop series, and the instructional designer for several MOOCs. She is also an online instructor at Empire State College. Tonka’s academic interests include motivation in online learning, instructor communication styles, and student retention.  Tonka received a master’s degree from Presovska University in Slovakia: Teaching English as a Second Language and Philosophy. She also holds a master’s degree in communication and a Ph.D. in Instructional Design and Development from the University of South Alabama.

Meghan Pereira is the Senior Instructional Designer, Buffalo State College. Meghan Pereira is the Senior Instructional Designer at Buffalo State and has been in the education field since 2000 as a teacher, instructional technologist, and an instructional designer.  She has provided many workshops and presentations on online course development, web tools, ANGEL/Blackboard, mobile learning, web conferencing, universal design for learning and creating accessible content. Currently, Meghan is the External-Vice Chair for the Directors of Online Learning and Distance Learning Environments (DOODLE),  and is a member of the SUNY FACT2 Council where she chaired the Online Accessibility Task Group and coordinated the FACT2 Symposium: Accessibility: Designing Access for All Learners. Meghan received her Master's degree in Instructional Systems Technology from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and her Bachelor's degree in Elementary Education from St. Bonaventure University.

Anne Lane is the Assistant Director for Learning Environments at Empire State College. Anne is responsible for virtual and physical learning spaces, including the learning management system (LMS), at Empire State College. She is a higher education professional with over 20 years of progressive experience in the areas of Information Technology Services, Advancement Services, and Prospect Management and Research specializing in application administration and management.  She recently managed the successful large scale conversation from ANGEL to Moodlerooms. Anne has also assisted with the IITG “iMOOC: A Multiuser Platform for International Students to Navigate U.S.-style Virtual Learning Environments”. She has a B.A. in Computer Science from Skidmore College. Anne’s technical expertise with online course management systems will be essential for this project.

Sumana Silverheels, M.S. is the Technology Accommodations Coordinator in Disability Services at Buffalo State. She has a Bachelor’s in Physics and in Industrial Electronics and a Master’s degree in Social Sciences Interdisciplinary, with a focus of disability and AT.  She provides services to students with disabilities with emphasis on AT for independence in learning. Ms. Silverheels proactively works with SUNY Center for Professional Development and Instructional Design to set standards for creating accessible instructional materials for online and traditional instructions. She also chairs the NYS Access Technology Committee. Prior to joining Buffalo State, she was the Training Director for the CAT at UB, and managed a variety of projects in that capacity.  She managed the Buffalo Assistive Technology Center for the NYS Commission for the Blind.