2024 Officer & Board of Directors Slate of Candidates
This is the slate of candidates for IACET Board of Director’s 2024 election of one (1) Director at Large to the Board of Directors to replace one (1) vacancy requiring Board election and for the Officer positions of Secretary and Treasurer. The elected individuals will commence their term of office on January 1, 2025. See below to view each nominee.
There is also a vote for the un-official position of Chair-elect. The elected individual will commence their term of Chair on January 1, 2026. The elected candidate will continue to hold thier office or position for 2025. Upon the beginning of the term in 2026, their office or position will become vacant and trigger the officer or director vacancy process to fill the position.
Voting closes at 8:00 AM EDT (UTC-4) on Monday, August 12, 2024.
NOMINATIONS FOR (1) DIRECTOR AT LARGE
Schwarz, Sandra, MEd
Sandra Schwarz is the Senior Manager in Education Services for Emerson responsible for quality in education offerings. She works out of the Final Control location in Marshalltown, Iowa. Prior to Emerson, she worked for the Maytag Company, Farm Bureau Financial Services and was a contractor working for global companies developing courses and curriculum. She has 25 plus years’ experience in educational services and holds a Master of Science in Education Curriculum Design and Technology from Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa. She completed her thesis on digital badges focusing on the impact to the earner, versus the observer and issuer. She has helped Emerson grow their education offering through quality practices adopted by use of the IACET Standard.
Resume
Smith, Brandon, CPTD
Brandon Smith, CPTD is an Instructional Design Manager with the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC). During his 17 years with the NAIC he has worked in multiple areas of the Education & Training Department. With 12 years’ experience in Instructional Design, he has helped create a variety of courses and events, from webinars with hundreds of attendees to in-person events and countless online courses. Brandon loves the daily challenges of course design and the opportunities they present. Brandon received his Bachelor of Arts from Park University and earned the Certified Professional in Talent Development (CPTD) Certification from the Association for Talent Development. As a lifelong learner he has also received various other certifications including that of HTML5 Specialist. Brandon is an active member of IACET serving on the Standards Council since 2023. He currently chairs the Awards Committee and CET Talks Podcast Advisory Group. In his spare time, Brandon loves watching his daughters compete in sports, being active outdoors, traveling with his family, reading and recently picked up gardening. Brandon also volunteers with various organizations fighting human trafficking in the Kansas City area.
Van Howe, Caroline, MEd
Caroline Van Howe is responsible for the organizational aspects of the ATIA international conferences and educational programs; partner and alliance programs with national and international assistive technology organizations; member support; technical assistance to federally awarded grant programs; and production management for peer reviewed online research journal, Assistive Technology Outcomes and Benefits (ATOB).
Under Ms. Van Howe’s leadership, the educational program has expanded its content leadership with national organizations including AOTA, ASHA, AHEAD, ATHEN, JAN and RESNA. The Continuing Education program has expanded to include ACVREP, ASHA, CRC CEUs/CPDUs. ATIA is an accredited IA.C.E.T. provider and an approved AOTA Continuing Education Provider.
Ms. Van Howe works with a number of assistive technology focused organizations and federally funded programs
- AAC-RERC – the RERC on Communication Enhancement
- Center for Applied Special Technologies (CAST)
- RERC on Advancing Cognitive Technologies
- G3ict – United Nations Global Initiative on Inclusive Computer Technologies
Prior to joining ATIA, Ms. Van Howe worked in the assistive technology K-12 industry for six years and was responsible for professional development and marketing programs. She joined the ATIA Board of Directors in 2001 holding positions of Conference Chair and President before joining the Executive Staff in 2006.
Ms. Van Howe worked in international software for over 15 years in both the UK and US and held management positions in sales, training and marketing. Ms. Van Howe originally trained as a teacher of students with learning disabilities in the U.K. She obtained her M.A. in Education from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor and also holds an M.A. in American Literature.
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NOMINATIONS FOR (1) TREASURER
Foxx, Laura, Ph.D.
Laura is a Manager of Innovation, Strategy and Transformation at Atrium Health (formerly Carolinas Healthcare System), headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina. Since joining Atrium in 2012, she has held several leadership positions in Human Resources, the Performance Excellence Center, and currently, in the Division of Social Impact and Strategy. Previous employment was primarily in higher education advancement and corporate philanthropy. Laura served as the IACET primary contact for Atrium Health from 2016 - 2020 and is currently an individual member of IACET (2020 – Present).
IACET Experience
Committed to life-long learning, Laura initiated and led the processes to gain workplace education and training “accreditation” and national recognition for the Atrium Health Performance Excellence Center Lean Leadership Residency Program, including the accompanying Lean general education and training program. Our purpose for pursuing the accreditation was consistent with the ideals and protocols required by ANSI – IACET, which hold organizations to the highest levels of workplace learning delivery within the best possible learning environment. During the period of the Provider-status process, regular communication with the IACET team provided the conceptual infrastructure necessary to guide Atrium Health leaders and trainers toward the preparation of the application and successful site visit. Once approved, we immediately began to leverage the training resources of IACET: professional development on-site training for our cross-functional trainers in Strategic Planning and Instructional Design, led by former CEO Joe McClary.
The rigor of the IACET process prepared us for our successful accreditation application to the American Council on Education College Credit Recommendation Service. Atrium’s accredited approach to standard work as the platform for continuous improvement, employee engagement, and organizational transformation has distinguished us among other organizations within the health care industry. Numerous external organizations have contacted us over the years to receive advice and counsel regarding the application process.
Education
Laura was recently named a 2021 participant of the University of Oxford (UK) Saïd School of Business Social Impact Investment Measurement Programme. She earned the Doctor of Management in Organizational Leadership from University of Phoenix, Master of Arts degree in Higher Education from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the Bachelor of Arts Degree in English from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Laura holds a Six Sigma Green Belt, is research certified by the Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI), and is certified as an executive and organization leadership coach from Columbia University/Teachers College.
Professional Associations and Community Service
Laura lends her professional and volunteer commitments to the IACET Finance Committee, American College of Healthcare Executives, Levine Cancer Institute Community Diversity Outreach Advisory Council, Carolinas Simulation Center Advisory Council, Leadership Charlotte Past Presidents’ Council. She is currently a peer reviewer for the Journal of Leadership Studies and in 2013 co-authored “Cultural Competence at Atrium Health.” She was a Millennium Evenings guest at The White House in 2000, and a guest of HSH Prince Albert of Monaco in celebration of NASA’s 60th anniversary in Monte Carlo in 2018. Previously, she has served on the Boards of Visitors for Davidson College and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She was recently named a Lifetime Member of the Davidson College Board of Visitors. Laura is a philanthropic supporter of several community organizations.
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NOMINATIONS FOR (1) SECRETARY
Ehrlich, David, MPA, CAE, CMP, CNP, CPTD, PHR
David is an Executive Director & Client Relationship Manager with Barcami Lane, Inc., an association management company. Prior to his service there, David served as the director of education with NTEA – The Association for the Work Truck Industry, an IACET Accredited Provider. The NTEA provides in-depth technical information, education, member programs and services, and produces multiple events, including The Work Truck Show® and Green Truck Summit. He is also the managing director of Elevated Association Solutions, an association management company and holds a master's degree from the University of Michigan. He holds the following credentials: CAE (Certified Association Executive), CMP (Certified Meeting Planner), CNP (Certified Nonprofit Professional), CPTD (Certificate Professional in Talent Development), and the PHR (Professional in Human Resources).
David, who lives in Farmington Hills, Michigan, is very active at the national level of the Scouting America, has served on the advisory board of 100+ Millennials Who Care, the Rising Achiever's Advisory Board for Junior Achievement of Southeastern Michigan, and the Michigan Marketing Educators board of directors. He is a Rotarian who is also active on several business/marketing education advisory committees and at the national and state levels of DECA: An Association of Marketing Students and Virtual Enterprises International.
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Horwitz, Paula, DBA
Paula currently serves as the VP Events Management with FCCS, partnering with internal and external stakeholders to develop engaging and impactful training and development opportunities throughout. With over 15 years in management and executive leadership, Paula has built and lead diverse teams on the grounding principles of building strong relationships, respect, and individualized support.
Resume
NOMINATIONS FOR (1) CHAIR-ELECT
Ehrlich, David, MPA, CAE, CMP, CNP, CPTD, PHR
David is an Executive Director & Client Relationship Manager with Barcami Lane, Inc., an association management company. Prior to his service there, David served as the director of education with NTEA – The Association for the Work Truck Industry, an IACET Accredited Provider. The NTEA provides in-depth technical information, education, member programs and services, and produces multiple events, including The Work Truck Show® and Green Truck Summit. He is also the managing director of Elevated Association Solutions, an association management company and holds a master's degree from the University of Michigan. He holds the following credentials: CAE (Certified Association Executive), CMP (Certified Meeting Planner), CNP (Certified Nonprofit Professional), CPTD (Certificate Professional in Talent Development), and the PHR (Professional in Human Resources).
David, who lives in Farmington Hills, Michigan, is very active at the national level of the Scouting America, has served on the advisory board of 100+ Millennials Who Care, the Rising Achiever's Advisory Board for Junior Achievement of Southeastern Michigan, and the Michigan Marketing Educators board of directors. He is a Rotarian who is also active on several business/marketing education advisory committees and at the national and state levels of DECA: An Association of Marketing Students and Virtual Enterprises International.
Resume
Horwitz, Paula, DBA
Paula currently serves as the VP Events Management with FCCS, partnering with internal and external stakeholders to develop engaging and impactful training and development opportunities throughout. With over 15 years in management and executive leadership, Paula has built and lead diverse teams on the grounding principles of building strong relationships, respect, and individualized support.
Resume