[Disclaimer: (1) The ideas, opinions, and content published on this site are my own and do not reflect the views or priorities of my employer (present or past). (2) I do not accept any form of sponsorship or other financial incentives for this site.]

After earning my Ph.D. in Spanish at the University of Texas at Austin, I began my career as a university faculty member teaching languages and literature. I have also served in university administration, as a textbook publishing executive, and as a successful co-founder and executive for multiple educational technology startups. I have additional experience as a textbook author and have been an active researcher and blogger in the learning technology space since 2003. Over the past decade, my work has focused increasingly on how to provide equitable access to college-level learning for everyone in the U.S.

After much trial and error, I find myself relying more and more on the following philosophies:

• Equity is the most pressing issue in U.S. education today;
• In education, low tech beats high tech pretty much every time when it comes to achieving improved, universal learning efficacy;
• There is a natural order of progression for becoming an effective leader. You must first be an effective decision-maker and then evolve into a strong community-builder before you can hope to become an effective vision-crafter;
• It’s impossible to edit a blank page;
• Done really is better than perfect, if for no other reason than the fact that you never achieve anything near perfection in your initial iterations of a product or program;
• The best way to begin anything is simply to begin.

My Philosophy

• On Language
• On Learning