Current Position and Past Experience
Mary Elizabeth has been involved in educational innovation for over thirty years. She is currently the Director of Learning Innovation Strategy in the Center for Teaching and Learning at the University of Phoenix. She was previously the Research and Implementation Strategist and the Director of Curriculum Development at the university. She began her career while at Arizona State University, working with K-12 pre-service teachers to integrate technology into lesson plans and produce hyper-card stacks. Her affinity for educational technology places her in the category of an ‘early adopter’ and she was one of the first faculty, at the University of Illinois, to convert an on-campus Computer Science course for online delivery in 1999. Her career in education includes working in curriculum development, learning design, faculty development, faculty, and e-learning roles for four universities and several community colleges. She has also worked for two educational software companies.

Education, Honors and Achievements
Smith holds a Bachelor of Arts in Speech and Journalism from Southern Illinois University. She also has a Masters of Education in ed media and computers from Arizona State University.

She also has Certified SAFe® 4 Agilist, Certified SAFe® Product Owner / Product Manager, and Master Online Teacher (Illinois Online Network).

Personal Details and Community Involvement
Mary Elizabeth is a certified yoga instructor and obsessive reader. She is known for her love of the color purple. She is active in organizations that support children and those with disabilities.

Connect
Feel free to connect with Mary Elizabeth on LinkedIn