Standing Committees

Listed below you will find the chairpersons of POD’s standing committees. Members’ involvement in these important organizational efforts and activities is welcome and you are invited to contact the chair of any committee to become involved.

Each standing committee has a Core Committee Representative as a member (in some cases the chair) who is also a member of the Core Committee. The representative regularly attends committee meetings and serves as the representative for that committee at biannual Core meetings. Core Representatives are a conduit for information, questions, ideas or concerns back and forth, and advocate for the committee’s requests or proposals when there are any on the Core agenda.

Committee chairs are expected to send a report to the POD Network’s Core Committee twice yearly, prior to the spring and fall Core meetings. The Executive Director will provide instructions and timeline to all committee chairs prior to these meetings.

Finance Committee

Email: [email protected]

Chair & Core Committee Representative: Gloria Niles

Charge: The purpose of the Finance Committee is to assist the Core Committee in meeting its fiduciary responsibilities to POD Network members and the general public by ensuring that the organization is in good financial health. In particular, the Finance Committee provides oversight on behalf of the Core Committee to ensure that POD’s assets are protected and that its resources are used appropriately and effectively to help fulfill the organization’s mission.

The Finance Committee provides guidance to the Executive Director and the Executive Committee on the development, review, and revision of annual and long-range financial plans.  It develops and recommends policies to safeguard the organization’s assets and ensures that the organization maintains accurate and complete financial records.

Governance Committee

Email: [email protected]

Chair: Christine Rener

Core Committee Representatives: Ruth Poproski and Tammy McCoy

Charge: The Governance Committee advises the Core Committee on issues pertaining to Bylaws and Guidelines of the POD Network and oversees the process for updating the Governance Manual in accordance with Core Committee decisions. Through the Nominations and Election Subcommittee, Governance also oversees the nominations and election process and assures that it conforms to the Bylaws.

Awards Committee

Email: [email protected]

Chair: Lisa LaCross

Core Committee Representative: Sara Nasrollahien Mojard

• Spirit of POD Award (SPOD)
• The Robert J. Menges Award for Outstanding Research in Educational Development (Menges)
• The POD Innovation Award (Innovation)
• The Christine A. Stanley Award for Diversity and Inclusion Research in Educational Development (Stanley)

Each of these programs is administered by a subcommittee.

• Bob Pierlioni Spirit of POD Award Subcommittee: Martin Springborg
• Bob Menges Award Subcommittee: Esther Jordan
• Innovation Awards Subcommittee: Adriana Streifer
• Christine Stanley Award Subcommittee: Sha-shonda Porter

Conference Committee

Email: [email protected]

Conference Chair: Beth White

Program Co-Chairs: Zaina DeLaney

Core Committee Representative: Todd Zakrajsek

Charge: The Conference Committee is responsible for the organization of the POD Network’s annual conference, including all programmatic and logistical aspects.

Current Projects: 49th Annual Conference | Chicago, IL November 20-23, 2025; pre-conference workshops on November 19

Digital Resources and Innovation (DRI) Committee

Email: [email protected]

Chair: Adam Barger

Core Committee Representative: Bonnie Mullinix

Charge: The purpose of the Digital Resources & Innovation Committee is to advise on and facilitate the implementation of policies and practices regarding POD Network use of digital and communication resources to support the work of the POD Network and its members. It accomplishes this by:

• Researching new and innovative technologies and approaches that enhance the POD Network mission
• Providing guidelines for usage of these technologies across the POD Network governance structure of committees and SIGs
• Piloting and bringing to scale technologies that support POD Network activities and its members

Advising on best practices in POD Network communications, such as social media

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Committee

Email: [email protected]

Co-Chairs: Anoff Cobbhah and David Goldman

Core Committee Representative: Kritika Yegnashankaran

Charge: The Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee (DEIC) serves as an advocate to the POD Network by advising members of the Core and Executive Committees on ways to sustain and improve the organization’s efforts toward valuing diversity, equity, and inclusion. Formed in 1993, as a result of a strong call from individuals within the membership, the Committee goals are focused on:

1. recruitment and retention of members from underrepresented groups and institutions in the POD Network and in the faculty/instructional development community more broadly (in coordination with the membership committee) and
2. cultivation of greater critical attention to questions of diversity, equity, and inclusion in the organization and our work.

Underrepresented groups are defined as, but not limited to, members who identify as racial and/or ethnic minorities; lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgendered individuals; and individuals who are disabled. Underrepresented institutions are defined as, but not limited to, historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs), native American tribal colleges, Hispanic serving institutions (HSIs) or Hispanic area colleges and universities (HACUs), or Minority Serving Institutions (or those aspiring to become MSIs).

The committee serves these dual purposes through outreach and support aiming to bring new members into the POD Network community (with a particular emphasis on the conference), as well as supporting, highlighting, and promoting scholarship and resources focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion. The committee engages with other POD Network committees and SIGs to help promote values related to diversity, equity, and inclusion throughout the work of the POD Network and its members.

External Partnerships and Outreach Committee (EPOC)

Email: [email protected]

Chair: Teresa Johnson

Core Committee Representative: Elina Salminen

Charge:

Working in close collaboration with the Executive Committee, the External Partnerships and Outreach Committee will

1. vet all partnership requests;
2. funnel requests to the working committee or POD members whose charge or expertise most closely aligns with proposed partnership;
3. oversee processes and guidelines related to partnerships, and outreach for the organization;
4. manage the prioritizing and vetting processes involved in committing to partnership requests, and where necessary, limit requests; and
5. coordinate work of the EPOC members related to outreach.

Note: “outreach” work that falls under the purview of this committee is primarily outreach for the purposes of establishing external affiliations and partnerships. Outreach intended to increase or enhance membership within the POD Network falls under the purview of the Membership Committee, yet some outreach endeavors of EPOC and Membership may overlap.

New Report: Connecting Centers for Teaching and Learning with STEM Education Centers

Membership Committee

Email: [email protected]

Co-Chairs: Kem Saichaie and Tammy McCoy

Core Committee Representative: Tammy McCoy

Charge: The Membership Committee advises the Core and Executive Committees on a range of membership topics, including but not limited to marketing, recruiting, retention, membership benefits, membership satisfaction, and trends in membership.

Professional Development Committee (PDC)

Email: [email protected]

Chair: Robynn Shannon

Core Committee Representative: Teresa Focarile

Charge: The Professional Development Committee (PDC) is charged with responding to the diverse professional development needs of POD Network members at various career stages and different institutional types. PDC coordinates the development, offering, and assessment of programming that supports the professional growth of POD Network members in a variety of venues and modalities.

Scholarship Committee

Email: [email protected]

Chair: Megan Sanders

Core Committee Representative: Scott Hicks

Charge: The mission of the Scholarship Committee is to support the POD Network’s strategic goal of “advancing evidence-based practice” through the fostering of the development, application, and dissemination of research, scholarship, and creative works related to educational development and the membership of the POD Network.

Strategic Plan Committee

Email: [email protected]

Chair: Christine Rener

Presidential Liaisons: Carl Moore and Jon Iuzinni

Charge: The purpose of the Strategic Plan Committee (SPC) is to guide the organization strategic planning processes and assessment, advising and soliciting input from the Core Committee on the prioritization of the organization work in order to achieve its goals and purpose. It accomplishes this by:

• Promoting alignment of the work of committees and SIGs with the strategic plan, identifying gaps, overlaps, and opportunities for cross-committee/SIG collaboration;
• Managing the assessment of progress toward the organization strategic priorities, goals, and actions;
• Coordinating the work of assessment liaisons in each committee/SIG in order to 1) promote a culture of assessment in each group, and 2) solicit assessment data for organization-wide analysis;
• Ensuring the communication of the organization progress towards its strategic goals and priorities to the Executive and Core Committees and the POD Network membership, including sharing of key initiatives and markers of success;
• Organizing strategic planning activities at Core Committee meetings to assist the Core Committee in setting priorities for the organization based on strategic plan goals and progress.
• Assisting, as requested by the Executive Committee, with the development of new strategic plans for the organization.

The table below indicates which president serves as the Presidential Liaison or as a committee member or chair when indicated by an asterisk. 

The role of the Presidential Liaison is to serve as a sounding board for either the committee chair or Core representative on issues that span across committees, have implications for governance, budget, the organization as a whole, or the public face of the organization. The Presidential Liaison does not attend committee meetings routinely but instead recommends the committee chair invite the liaison to attend at appropriate times for particular agenda items with these broader implications.

* indicates service as a regular member or chair of the committee