Keynote Speakers
Keynote Speakers
Coordinators
Facilitators
OPENING KEYNOTER: Dr. Hans A. Andrews
Hans A. Andrews is the Distinguished Fellow for Community College Leadership at Olney Central College in Olney, IL, where he served as President until his retirement. He was Dean of Instruction at Illinois Valley Community College and Vice President for Community and Student Services at Kellogg Community College. He has high school experience as a teacher and Director of Counseling and Guidance.
A nationally known consultant in the areas of faculty evaluation, teacher awards and recognition and dual-credit programs, Andrews has published five books including Accountable Teacher Evaluation, Evaluating for Excellence and Merit in Education. He has also published over 80 professional articles and served on the editorial boards of three educational journals.
He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Education from Central Michigan University, a Master of Arts degree in Counseling and Guidance from Michigan State University, and an Ed.D. degree in Counseling Psychology and Higher Education Administration from the University of Missouri-Columbia.
CLOSING KEYNOTER: Dr. Charles R. Novak
Charles R. Novak is President Emeritus of Richland Community College in Decatur, IL where he served for 13 years until his retirement. During his career he was a community college president for 23 years and also was a continuing education officer, a chief financial officer and a chief academic officer.
From 1997 until 2003, Novak was the Statewide Chair of the Illinois Leadership and Core Values Initiative. The purpose of the Initiative was to engage Illinois’ 48 community colleges in serious discussions about the leadership behaviors which support the consideration of values and ethics in the workplace. After retiring, Novak has returned to work on many an occasion to help the community colleges, serving as interim president. In 2006, the Illinois Community College Trustees Association awarded him the Certificate of Merit for his service to the community colleges of Illinois.
He holds a Bachelor’s from Southern Illinois University, a Master’s from Illinois State University and a Ph.D. in higher education from the University of Illinois.
COORDINATOR: Dorene Perez 
Dorene Perez, Program Director/Instructor CAD/CAE at IVCC, was a MIMIC program originator. Co-leader of the Tech Prep team, she has been recognized for pioneering in online courses. She is Principal Investigator of National Science Foundation Grant #0501885 and participated in an NSF-funded revision of the CAD program at Moraine Valley Community College. She organizes and facilitates numerous engineering-related camps for young people. Prior to teaching, she served five years as a CAD manager in industry. She holds an A.A.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering from IVCC and has completed numerous technology training programs.
ASSISTANT COORDINATOR: James Gibson 
Jim Gibson, Program Director/Instructor of Electronics at IVCC, is co-Principal Investigator for NSF Grant #0501885. A former State Director of the Illinois Association of Electronics and Electrical Educators, he has extensive industrial experience and continues to serve as a troubleshooter. In 2005, he was named Outstanding Faculty by the National Association of Industrial Technology. Before coming to IVCC, he designed and taught high school electronics/electricity programs. He holds an M.S. and B.S. in Industrial Technology, with a minor in chemistry, from Illinois State University.
ASSISTANT
COORDINATOR: Rose Marie Lynch
Rose Marie Lynch, communications instructor, is co-leader of IVCC’s Tech Prep team and former co-director of the Center for Excellence in Teaching, Learning and Assessment. Co-Principal Investigator for NSF Grant #0501885, she provides communication training to MIMIC students. In 1999, she was named Illinois Professor of the Year by the Carnegie Foundation. Semi-retired, she taught journalism and advised the award-winning student newspaper at IVCC for 32 years. She holds a B.S. and M.S. from Indiana State University and a Ph.D. in English from Ball State University.
FACILITATOR:
Sue Caley Opsal
Sue Caley Opsal, anatomy/physiology instructor at IVCC, has served as lead instructor for numerous math, science and technology camps for girls. At IVCC, she was the first Faculty Facilitator in Instructional Technology. Listed in Who’s Who Among American Teachers, she has given presentations at the League for Innovation in the Community College, for the Illinois Online Network and at Illinois State University. An experienced grant writer, she is the internal evaluator for NSF Grant #0501885. Winner of the Faculty Excellence Award in 2008, she holds a B.S. and M.S. both in biology from the University of Wisconsin.
FACILITATOR:
Kaushalya Jagasia
Koshu Jagasia, English instructor at IVCC, served as Coordinator of Assessment of Student Learning at IVCC for three years and teaches a course in classroom assessment and research. She has an extensive background in the areas of interdisciplinary courses, blended course delivery, and modern trends in education, including study skills, learning styles, and brain-based learning. She makes numerous presentations on the culture of India, and in spring 2007 was on sabbatical in India studying student motivation. Winner of the Faculty Excellence Award in 2006, she holds a B.A. and an M.A. in English and Sindhi from Gujarat University, India.
FACILITATOR:
Bob Reese
Bob Reese, a business instructor at IVCC for 11 years, joined the MIMIC team this year – supervising the business students in the MIMIC companies and teaching the MIMIC business course Integrated Business Operations. He is listed in Who’s Who Among American Teachers and has been the recipient of the Bradley University Presidential Scholarship, the Northern Illinois University Foundation Scholarship and the Illinois General Assembly Scholarship. He has a Master Online Teacher Certificate from the University of Illinois and has served as the President of the MBA Association. He holds a B.S. in Finance from Northern Illinois University and an M.B.A. from Bradley University.
FACILITATOR: Mary Smith
Mary Smith, Educational Technologist at IVCC, helps faculty develop and implement new technological resources to deliver and enhance instruction and learning. She has been a CAD instructor at IVCC for four years and currently teaches animation, CAD for civil engineering technicians, and drafting. She worked in industry as a Project Engineer for ten years. She holds an Associate Degree in CAD from IVCC, a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Polytechnic University in Brooklyn, NY, and recently earned a Master Online Teaching Certificate from the Illinois Online Network.
Prior MIMIC Presentations / Workshops by the Coordinators
National and International
- American Society for Engineering Education International Colloquium at Tsinghua University in Beijing, People’s Republic of China, 2004.
- Advanced Technological Education Principal Investigators’ Conference sponsored by the National Science Foundation and American Association of Community Colleges at Washington, D.C. in 2006 and 2007.
- American Society for Engineering Education National Conference at Salt Lake City, Utah in 2004; at Chicago in 2006; at Honolulu, Hawaii in 2007.
- National Association for Workforce Improvement Conference at Chicago in 2007.
- National Association of Industrial Technology Convention at Cleveland, Ohio in 2006.
- Lilly Conference on Excellence in College Teaching at Miami University, Ohio.
- Society of Educators and Scholars International Conference in Louisville, Kentucky.
- National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development Conference in Austin, Texas.
- National Council for Occupational Education Conference in St. Louis.
- Tech Ed Conference in Long Beach, Calif.
Regional and State
- Ill.-Ind. Section of the American Society for Engineering Education Conference at Terre Haute, Ind. In 2008.
- Forum for Excellence sponsored by the Illinois Community College Board in 2006.
- Teaching and Learning Excellence Conference sponsored by the Illinois Community College Faculty Association in 2006.
- American Technical Education Association Regional Meeting in Wisconsin.
- Connections Conferences sponsored by the Illinois State Board of Education.