2026 Leadership Program

Program Leads

Laura Rantala

Long Beach City College

Kenji Ikemoto

Stanford University

Eric Wilson

Orange Coast College

Shawna BuShell

Riverside Community College District

Advisor Committee

John Bansavich, EdD

University of San Francisco

Hussam Kashou, PhD

Long Beach City College

Henry Burnett, PhD

Higher Ed Consultant

2026 Cohort

Topics & Dates

March 13 | 12:00-1:30 PM

Welcome To The Program, Meet Your Cohort, Introduction To The Canvas Course

Program details, meet and greet, and how to navigate our Canvas Course.

April 10 | 12:00-1:30 PM

Leading in the Dark: How Do I Lead When I’m Not the Boss AND I Don’t Know Where I’m Supposed to Go? | Dr. John Lynch (Somona State University)

Things are weird right now. If you feel like you don’t know what’s going to happen next in the cruise ship that is higher ed, and even though you’re not actually the captain of the ship, it’s somehow going to be your job to help steer the ship to safety, you’re not alone! I feel the same way some days. So there’s at least two of us. I’m going to share how *I* understand leadership, how I try to lead from the middle of an organization, and finally, how I decide where to lead when my bosses aren’t telling me what the priorities are. Come hang out and tell me what you think about my approach! Worst case, we spend time rearranging deck chairs while listening to an epic string quartet. What could go wrong?

May 8 | 12:00-1:30 PM

From Compliance to Culture: Leading Sustainable Change in Online Learning and Instructional Quality | Dr. Tara Giblin (Orange Coast College)

Higher education leaders today face overlapping waves of change—expanding online learning, RSI compliance, digital accessibility standards, and strategic planning demands—often arriving all at once. This session explores how leaders can move beyond reactive compliance toward sustainable institutional practice, using real examples from online quality initiatives, accessibility work, and strategic planning. Attendees will leave with concrete strategies for aligning emerging requirements with institutional priorities, engaging faculty in meaningful dialogue, and building the resilient structures needed to turn regulatory and technological challenges into lasting improvements in teaching, student engagement, and institutional adaptability.

June 12 | 12:00-1:30 PM

Keeping Your Values Core in EdTech Leadership | Dr. Jenae Cohn (UC Berkeley)

EdTech leaders regularly have to make complex decisions that impact institutional processes, procedures, services, and programs. Within the complexity of these decision-making matrices, EdTech leaders must wrestle with the multiple impacts and consequences of their decisions. After all, from selecting whether to pilot a new learning tool to developing the curriculum and infrastructure for a new faculty development program, the consequences of EdTech leaders' decisions will impact faculty, student, and staff stakeholders differently. How do we weigh the consequences of these decisions reasonably and in alignment with equity-oriented values? In this session, we will explore multiple case studies involving challenging ethical dilemmas in the EdTech field. As a group, we will discuss our responses and reactions to these case studies, considering how we can survey the impacts of our choices reasonably and responsibly.

July 10 | 12:00-1:30 PM

Visualizing and Mapping Our Growth as Leaders | DET/CHE Leadership Program Leads (Kenji, Laura, Shawna and Eric)

Participants engaged in a reflective leadership activity by creating visual maps of their career journeys, using drawings and symbols to represent key milestones, challenges, lessons learned, and aspirations. The exercise provided an opportunity to share experiences, seek and offer advice, and explore how personal and professional experiences shape leadership growth. By fostering open dialogue and storytelling, the session encouraged participants to learn from one another, build meaningful connections, and gain new perspectives on leadership within higher education and educational technology.

August 14 | 12:00-1:30 PM

Bring a Challenge, Find a Solution: Leadership Collaboration in Action | DET/CHE Leadership Program Leads (Kenji, Laura, Shawna and Eric)

Participants are invited to reflect on and share their most pressing technology or leadership challenge, then engage with colleagues in a collaborative discussion focused on idea sharing, problem-solving, and peer support. By connecting with others facing similar challenges, attendees will have the opportunity to gain new perspectives, discover practical strategies, and leverage the collective experience of the cohort. Participants are encouraged to prepare a brief written response to the question,"What is the single biggest technology or leadership challenge you're currently facing?" to help guide the conversation.