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Dr. Carrie Berger began her academic career at the University of Oklahoma and earned a B.S. in Botany in 1994. She received her Ph.D. from Purdue University in 2000 from the Department of Medicinal Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology. She received additional training as a post-doctoral fellow at the University of Cincinnati in the Department of Cell and Molecular Biology.

Beginning in 2007, she held various positions in the School of Engineering and Applied Science at the University of Virginia supporting research operations. From 2011 – 2013, she served as the Assistant Dean for Research. During this time, she focused her efforts on the mentoring of junior faculty, providing support for large grant proposals, award management, and enterprise-level process improvements.

In 2014, Dr. Berger joined the Purdue Polytechnic Institute and served as the Associate Dean for Research for six years. In 2020, she was named the Polytechnic Executive Associate Dean leading the research impact areas and development of the framework for diversity, equity, inclusion, and equity work in the Polytechnic.

After serving as interim dean of the Purdue Polytechnic Institute in 2021, she assumed the role of executive director for academic affairs at Purdue University Online. In her current role, Dr. Berger is leading the development of strategic new programs to address workforce needs such as artificial intelligence. Dr. Berger led the teams that developed and are delivering Purdue University’s first pan-university programs, the online M.S. in Artificial Intelligence and the online M.S. in Data Science.

Dr. Berger is passionate about forming inclusive and highly functional teams to advance interdisciplinary research and workforce development.

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Dr. Blake Faulkner currently serves as the President/Founder of InnovateHEd Associates where he and his colleagues have provided consultation to colleges and universities in the United States and Canada in strategic planning and vision building, strategic academic program review, new program market research, institutional accreditation matters, online and hybrid program strategy and implementation, strategic enrollment management, international and corporate partnerships, and building collaborative and adaptive high-performance organizational cultures. Blake began his career as a faculty member before serving in numerous leadership positions that included Athletic Director, VP of Enrollment Management, VP of Strategic Initiatives, VP of International Affairs, Provost/Chief Academic Officer, Interim VP of Academic Affairs/Dean of Faculty, and President. Blake has over 20 years of successful senior leadership and consulting experience in online education and has held senior leadership roles in higher education institutions with both traditional residential campuses, as well as regional campus locations serving adult learners and the communities and employers within their respective regions.

Blake has served as a peer reviewer and team chair for the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) for 16 years, conducted over 50 visits/reviews, and has previously served a term as an appointed member of the HLC Institutional Actions Council (IAC). Blake also serves as an Executive Advisor to i.c.stars and the i.c.stars Innovation Lab, an innovative nonprofit workforce development organization founded in Chicago that helps prepare inner city young adults to enter the IT workforce through a transformative, project-based, and corporate sponsored program that has been recognized nationally. As a volunteer leader for Epikos Church, Blake helped lead the launch of a new non-denominational, multicultural campus location in north Milwaukee, one of the more crime-ridden urban areas in the United States.

Blake and Gina, his wife of 33 years, have two daughters. Taylor, their oldest daughter, currently lives in Milan Italy. Their youngest daughter, Bailey, lives in Honolulu Hawaii.  Blake and Gina currently reside in Cedarburg Wisconsin.

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Dr. Pamela Wimbush is the Associate Dean, Program Success and Organizational Excellence. She is a notable scholar, researcher, practitioner, and educator in online, continuing and professional education. Her career is indicative of the desire to provide wider access to adult learners and social mobility through quality education in various modalities.

Dr. Pamela Wimbush has over 20 years of experience working in higher education which includes oversight and leadership at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Northern Virginia Community College, Johns Hopkins University, Hampton University, and the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.

Dr. Wimbush's notable contributions to higher education include pioneering innovative approaches to validate adult learners' skills and knowledge through microcredentials, alternative credentials, and digital badges, and advancing opportunities for workforce development.

Currently, Dr. Wimbush served on the American Association for the Advancement of Science Path to Public Interest Technology Initiative Advisory Board (AAAS), where she engaged with national technology leaders on implementing Artificial Intelligence (AI) from a human rights and ethical lens. She is an expert for the Sacramento State University National Institute on Artificial Intelligence in Society. She is a former and returning member of UPCEA Board of Directors.

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