Dr. Lauren Carris is a learning design leader with over 15 years of experience in higher education settings. Currently, she leads the transformation of personalized learning design, at scale, at Western Governors University as the Director of Learning Experience and Design.  There, she focuses on implementing a transformational Learning Design Methodology to support curriculum and assessment teams in the colleges throughout the program lifecycle. She leads design teams, creative content teams, content curation teams, and accessibility and universal design teams who support the evolution of our practice and process. Dr. Carris is a respected leader who excels at solution-driven interdisciplinary collaboration, talent development, and scalable change-leadership.  She relies on the latest innovations and research in technology, learning science, user experience and design, accessibility, and industrial-organizational psychology to reimagine the definition of exceptional learning experiences and transform design practice.

Kacey Thorne is the Director of Program Architecture at Western Governors University. She is responsible for setting strategy and vision for the design of program frameworks and curriculum maps that serve as the foundation on which all WGU programs are built. Thorne is passionate about competency-based education and creating programs that facilitate open loop learning, leverage prior learning, and allow for personalized pathways. She began her career in education 15 years ago as a Health Science and CTE classroom teacher for both secondary and post-secondary students.

Dr. Mollie Nordgren is an Academic Program Director in the College of Health Professions at WGU.  She is responsible for leading disaggregated program teams to achieve the best outcomes for students.  Dr. Nordgren has a passion for educational innovation and technology. She has successfully utilized simulation and other innovative teaching modalities to improve student performance and satisfaction in challenging courses.  Her background as a nurse and clinical educator brings a unique perspective to higher education.  Dr. Nordgren has a PhD in Nursing Education and Administration and she has been at WGU for three years, where she has served in various curricular positions.