Rob Filback
Rob Filback is founder and principal of Avocet Education Partners and a professor in the University of Southern California's Rossier School of Education. A seasoned advisor, Rob brings deep experience in the design and development of online and blended curricula. In his academic role, he has led multiple online or hybrid degree program developments at the masters and doctoral levels. These include a first-of-its-kind global hybrid doctoral degree designed to generate high impact international leaders around the world and a novel hybrid dual-degree master’s program involving collaboration between USC and three international partner universities. Rob is an active researcher, regularly publishing in the area of online learning and program design and supervising doctoral students carrying out research in this space. Filback is frequently sought out to speak and consult on online learning by institutions in and outside of education.
DIANE YENDOL-HOPPEY
Diane Yendol-Hoppey is a professor of teacher education, former dean, and experienced innovator. Diane brings extensive experience in leadership, mentoring, and creating the conditions for productive programmatic and organizational change. Her expertise spans program design, inquiry-driven professional learning, and strategic leadership for innovation in complex educational environments. Diane works with colleges, universities, and educational organizations to design learning experiences that strengthen teaching quality, bolster leadership capacity, and enhance organizational coherence. She has a strong track record of building partnerships and advancing clinically rich practice across university and school contexts. Drawing on deep experience in both academic and practice-based settings, Diane partners with institutions to align vision, design responsive learning systems, and support continuous improvement in an evolving digital education landscape.
Jen Crawford
Jen Crawford is a Professor of Clinical Education in the Rossier School of Education at the University of Southern California and a former teacher in the U.S., Mexico, and Brazil. She currently leads Rossier's undergraduate academic program efforts. Crawford is an expert on facilitating learning among diverse learners and designing learning experiences that are equitable and culturally sustaining. As a Fulbright fellow, visiting professor, and invited speaker, Crawford has collaborated with transformational leaders in Brazil, Australia, and Mexico. She also advises educational and community based organizations in areas such as program design, hiring practices, and equity minded strategies.
CHAD WILLIAMSON
Chad Williamson, CEO of Fluid Inc., is an expert in business development within the education industry. Williamson brings more than 18 years of experience creating strategic alliances between corporations, organizations and higher education institutions. Williamson has been responsible for creating and/or enhancing the business pipeline channels of some of the largest education institutions in the nation as well as some of the largest corporations in the world. Williamson previously served as the Business Development Officer at Arizona State University EdPlus, where he created its business development division and led EdPlus to approximately $10 million per year in revenue in less than 2 years. He also built the Corporate Development and National Accounts divisions at Ashford University.
Phil Potter
Phil Potter is a senior instructional designer specializing in human-centered design. By focusing on the learner throughout the design process, Phil creates engaging and impactful learning experiences across multiple learning environments and subject areas. As the founder and CEO of his own firm, Kinetic Instruction, Phil also supports businesses and non-profits with best-in-class online and in-person educational experiences. Phil and his team draw on decades of experience working with clients on multiple continents. Phil previously served on the board of directors for the Association for Talent Development, Los Angeles, and on the advisory committee for the Learning, Design, and Technology masters program at the University of Southern California Rossier School of Education.