Staff

Structure of the CFT

The CFT is composed of a senior staff and educational technologists who work directly with faculty, departments, and programs, as well as Graduate Teaching Fellows who work directly with graduate students.

Members of the Vanderbilt teaching community may identify their CFT liaison by viewing this chart.

Who Are We?

Interim Director

Joe Bandy has been supporting teaching and learning via the Center for Teaching since 2010 and is Interim Director. Given his long tenure at Vanderbilt, Joe has worked as a liaison to many schools and departments, but his primary liaison areas include social science and humanities departments and programs in the schools of Arts and Science, as well as the Owen Graduate School of Management. Joe has supported curricular, instructional, and organizational development at Vanderbilt in consultations, workshops, and programs such as the Junior Faculty Teaching Fellows, the Certificate in College Teaching, and the Open Classroom. More recently, he has organized professional and organizational development through learning communities on environmental education (including The Cumberland Project), community engagement/service learning (including the Community Engagement Seminar), and critical and inclusive pedagogies (organizing the CFT’s work on Teaching, Difference, and Power). With a PHD in Sociology and grounded in a long teaching career spanning UC Santa Barbara, Bowdoin College, and now Vanderbilt, he teaches in the Department of Sociology and the Program in American Studies on issues related to social movements, environmental justice, class structure, and economic development. His most recent research addresses inclusive excellence in teaching and models of equitable and inclusive assessment in higher education. To learn more about Joe’s research and teaching career, please see his personal staff page.

Assistant Directors

Julaine Fowlin is the Assistant Director for Instructional Design. Her position was strategically created to strengthen online instructional design expertise in the Center for Teaching. She comes to Vanderbilt from Auburn University, where she was director of faculty development at the Harrison School of Pharmacy, designing and implementing an integrated professional development plan for the school. She has more than ten years of experience in instructional design and technology, helping design and launch online and blended courses at Auburn University, Virginia Tech, Holy Names University, and the University of the West Indies.

She earned her doctorate in learning science and technology from Virginia Tech after completing her master of science in education from Southern Illinois University–Edwardsville. She adopts a systems thinking approach to educational development, and her motto is, “yes, we can, and together we will.” Her research interests include the design and development of innovative learning experiences, focusing on curriculum reform, knowledge management, collaborative learning, and preparation of practice-ready graduates.

Watch her introductory video here. To schedule a consultation with Julaine, see this form.

Stacey M. Johnson has been the Assistant Director for Educational Technology at the Center for Teaching since June 2015. She is also a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Spanish & Portuguese and Affiliated Faculty in the Center for Second Language Studies. Her research interests include adult language learning, teaching culture, classroom practices, and hybrid language instruction. Her first book, Hybrid Language Teaching in Practice: Perceptions, Reactions, and Results, co-authored with Berta Carrasco, and her second book, Adult Learning in the Language Classroom, were both published in 2015. Her hybrid teaching experience and her expertise in educational technology enhance the CFT’s ability to support Vanderbilt instructors as they explore how Brightspace and other online learning platforms can be more effectively used to enhance student learning. Learn more about Stacey’s work here.

Ransford Pinto is the Assistant Director for Graduate Programs. He is also a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Leadership, Policy, and Organizations. He leads the CFT’s offerings for graduate students and mentors a team of Graduate Teaching Fellows. Ransford earned a PhD in Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis and a master’s degree in Public Affairs from the University of Missouri-Columbia. His research focuses on the intersection of race and gender in educational leadership; educational leadership preparation in a global context; and educational equity, diversity, access, and success in the P-20 system. His most recent study examines the educational and career pathways of Black Women in Senior Leadership Positions in U.S 4-year public Universities.

Lead Instructional Technology Consultant

Paige Snay has been with the Center for Teaching since the fall of 2019. As Lead Instructional Technology Consultant, she coordinates the pedagogical support efforts of the Brightspace Instructional Technology Consultants. She also collaborates with departments and teams across campus to help instructors utilize technology tools in new and engaging ways. Paige holds a B.S.B.A. in Information Systems and Cyber Security from Longwood University.

Brightspace Instructional Technology Consultants

Erica Brandon joined the CFT team in Fall 2017. She enjoys finding new ways to teach using technology, and coming up with creative uses for Brightspace that will engage students. Erica served as an Academic Technologist at the University of Colorado for five years. She also taught high school Computer Science before arriving at Vanderbilt. Erica graduated from the University of Colorado at Boulder with a B.A. in Music, and completed her graduate coursework at Eastern Michigan University.

Michael Coley joined the Center for Teaching in the Spring of 2021. As an Instructional Technology Consultant, his goal is to help promote high quality teaching through effective usage of technology. He has a B.S. in Animal Science and Secondary Education from Middle Tennessee State University and a Masters in Agricultural Education from North Carolina State University. While at NC State, his focus of study was on technology usage of Tennessee teachers. He taught high school Agricultural Education for 10 years before changing careers and joining Vanderbilt.

Jenny Park joined the Center for Teaching in the Summer of 2021. She enjoys working with new and existent digital tools that promote active and efficient teaching and learning. She is especially interested in working with Brightspace integrations. She has a BA and an MA.

Administrative Coordinator

Juliet Traub has been with the Center for Teaching since October 2014. She provides financial and logistical support for the Center for Teaching, which includes scheduling teaching consultations and meetings, managing the center’s budget, tracking participation within courses, and assisting with the planning and implementation of CFT events and programs. Juliet holds a B.A. in Spanish from Middle Tennessee State University. She previously worked at World View, a program at the University of North Carolina, where she served as program manager. Prior to that, Juliet served as an administrative assistant in Vanderbilt’s Cancer Biology department.