AECT announces Dr. Ellen Wagner as Interim Executive Director

The Association for Educational Communications and Technology announced that Dr. Ellen Wagner has accepted the position of Interim Executive Director of the organization. Dr. Wagner is a long-time AECT member, who has served in a number of capacities, including most recently as a board member of the AECT Foundation.
 
“Dr. Wagner has a background that fits at the intersection of technology and education, with an emphasis on optimizing learning through better use of digital learning technologies,” said Dr. Xun Ge, professor of learning sciences at the Jeannine Rainbolt College of Education at the University of Oklahoma and president of AECT. “Her research interests and expertise align well with those of AECT’s global membership.”
 
“The pandemic underscored the importance of effectively using technology to foster better teaching and learning across a range of settings, including K-12, colleges and universities, corporations, non-profits and the military,” said Dr. Wagner. “Educational technologies are literally everywhere. This underscores why AECT is so valued by is members, and why members and their service are the heart of AECT. Our members dedicate their professional lives to improving teaching and learning across a wide range of settings.”
 
Wagner is founder and managing partner of North Coast EduVisory Services, LLC, which focuses on digital transformation initiatives. In addition to supporting North Coast EduVisory clients, she is active as an affiliate research professor with the Mixed Emerging Technology Integration Laboratory, Institute for Simulation and Training, University of Central Florida.
 
She holds a Ph.D. in learning psychology from the University of Colorado-Boulder.
 
Wagner will succeed long-time AECT Executive Director, Dr. Phillip Harris, who recently announced the conclusion of his twenty-one-year tenure as the CEO of the organization.
 
“Phil Harris’s long-term leadership of AECT has set a high bar for all future leaders of the organization, including me,” said Wagner.
 
“We are delighted that Dr. Wagner has accepted this role on an interim basis as the board conducts an international search for its next leader,” said Ge.
 
Wagner will assume her new position on July 1.