Board of Directors

Ali Jafari, Ph.D. is Professor of Computer Information Technology and Director of the CyberLab at Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI). Dr. Jafari is renowned for his research and expertise in smart learning environments, having founded and co-developed several high-profile technology solutions and systems for education, including Indiana University’s Oncourse CMS (now Sakai), ANGEL Learning (acquired by Blackboard in May 2009), Epsilen Environment, and most recently CourseNetworking.He has edited three books on portals, Course Management Systems, and ePortfolio, has presented at more than one hundred national and international conferences and has published in professional and scholarly journals on a variety of subjects in information technology as it relates to teaching and learning. Dr. Jafari’s research interests include user interface design, agent-based learning environments, intelligent user interfaces, and distance learning.

Ian McIntosh is the Director of International Partnerships at IUPUI and an Adjunct in the IU Lilly Family School of Philanthropy and the IUPUI School of Liberal Arts.

Ian serves as IUPUI’s liaison to universities and organizations around the world that have formal affiliations with the Indianapolis campus. He is also the international advisor at the IUPUI Honors College and leads the Spring Break service-learning study abroad program in Costa Rica. Ian has published a number of books on Aboriginal Australian religion and culture, including 'The Whale and the Cross', and on the topic of pilgrimage and peacebuilding. such as ' Pilgrimage. Walking to the Peace, Walking for Change.'

Felice has spent the majority of her career in education, both on college campuses and for 12 years with The New York Times Company. In her final role there, she served as executive director of education. One of her key roles was developing The New York Times Knowledge Network, a new business model in e-Learning that included collaboration with colleges and universities to create and deliver online courses and certificates, including courses created and taught by New York Times journalists. In 2010 she led the Times Company’s collaboration with the Texas Education Agency to launch Project Share, a statewide initiative for 400,000 teachers and four million K-12 students. Before joining The Times, Nudelman served as executive director for Pace University’s School of Education (N.Y.), where she was responsible for internal and external relations, new program development, and the design and implementation of continuing education programs. Previously, Nudelman spent nearly a decade in academic affairs at Bloomfield College (N.J.), where she served in several capacities including associate dean of academic affairs.

Amir Pasic is the Eugene R. Tempel Dean of the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, the world’s first school devoted to research and teaching about philanthropy.

Pasic served as deputy director of the world security project at the Rockefeller Brothers Fund and was deputy vice president for advancement at The George Washington University. A former librarian at the Library of Congress, he began his career with faculty appointments at Brown University's Watson Institute.

Pasic earned his doctorate in political science at the University of Pennsylvania. He holds a master's degree in international relations from Johns Hopkins University and a bachelor's degree in economics and political science from Yale University.

Gerry Hanley Ph.D. is the Executive Director of MERLOT (Multimedia Educational Resource for Learning and Online Teaching, www.merlot.org) and SkillsCommons (www.skillscommons.org) which are free and open digital libraries of academic and workforce development teaching, learning, and training resources administered at California State University Long Beach.  At CSULB, Gerry is also the Director of the Center for Usability in Design and Accessibility and Professor Emeritus of Psychology; he teaches Human Factors, conducts research, and leads projects for industry, education, and government agencies.  A current priority is the Innovation Marketplace as the Chief Academic Officer for the nationally recognized agency, Partner in Publishing.   Gerry’s previous positions included Assistant Vice Chancellor & Senior Director for Academic Technology Services at the CSU Office of the Chancellor and at CSULB, the Director of Faculty Development, and the Director of Strategy Planning. He received his BA, MA, and PhD from the State University of New York at Stony Brook in Experimental/Cognitive Psychology.

William M. Plater served as the chief academic officer at Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis (1987-2006), Director of the Office of International and Community Development (2006-10), and retired as Indiana University Chancellor’s Professor Emeritus of Public Affairs, Philanthropic Studies, and English in 2010.  Earlier, he served as Dean of Liberal Arts at IUPUI (1983-87) and Associate Director of the School of Humanities (1977-83) at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.  More recently, he was Senior Consultant for Higher Education Strategies at Epsilen, a New York Times learning technology company (2010-2011) and Course Networking (2011-2012); Senior Advisor for International Affairs at the Western Association of Senior Colleges and Universities (2012-2014);  Research Director for Civic Learning and Community Engagement at Laureate Education (2016-2018); Senior Scholar at The Quality Assurance Commons for Postsecondary Education (2016 to 2021).  Plater earned a PhD in English Literature at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1973 and was awarded honorary doctorates in 2010 by Purdue University and Thailand’s National Institute of Development Administration.

Mien Dee carries ten years of experience with her from her work in various industries with a specialization in strategic business thinking. She has a passion for education and leads the expansion of CN to the Asia Pacific region by heading the Kuala Lumpur Office. Mien Dee received her bachelor's degree in Finance and master's degree in Management Information Systems from Indiana University.