Sharing, Gratitude, and Hope

David Bollier is an author, activist, blogger and consultant who spends his time exploring the commons as a new paradigm of economics, politics, and culture. He is the Founding Editor of Onthecommons.org and co-founder of the Commons Strategies Group, a consulting project that works to promote the commons internationally. Read his brief essay The Commons, Short and Sweet.

Cherylee Kushida is an OER lead and Distance Education Coordinator at Santa Ana College. Her involvement in OER began with three courses in 2011 as part of the Next Generation Learning Challenge – Kaleidoscope Open Course Initiative and is continuing with work on two OER degree pathways with a boost from the Achieving the Dream OER Degree Initiative. Cherylee is extremely proud of the Santa Ana College OER Workgroup efforts.

Jodi P. Coffman, a Counselor and Professor, is a long time adopter of OER materials as well as an OER leader on the Santa Ana College campus. She is a founding member of the OER workgroup and has been teaching online for over 10 years.

Ryan Merkley an experienced non-profit leader, advocate, and campaigner for openness and collaboration. As CEO of Creative Commons, Ryan has driven the organization’s focus towards a vibrant, usable commons powered by collaboration and gratitude. This has led to a renewed global movement, and significant growth in CC’s impact and reach, celebrating 1.2 billion licensed works in 2016. Read the 2017 State of the Commons report.

Catherine M. Casserly, Ph.D. is a pracademic, working at the nexus of research and practice as a catalyst for openness, innovation and leadership. Casserly works with a portfolio of education organizations with a passion for learning eco-systems that support high quality education experiences for all. She is currently Interim OER Lead at the Hewlett Foundation and Senior Advisor for the Carnegie and Lumina Foundations. She is a member of the Advisory Council for the National Science Foundation, chairing its subcommittee on open licensing, and a Research Affiliate with Institute for the Future. Previously, Casserly was CEO and President of Creative Commons, Fellow with the Aspen Institute, VP at the Carnegie Foundation and VP at EdCast. She was founding architect of the OER field, developing, managing and launching the 100M inaugural portfolio for the Hewlett Foundation.

Early in her career, she taught mathematics in Kingston, Jamaica and tutored in a high security prison. Casserly earned her Ph.D. in the economics of education from Stanford University, B.A. in Mathematics from Boston College, and holds an Honorary Doctorate from the Open University, UK.