Our Team

Our Team

At the International Institute for Innovative Instruction, we are experts in our fields, from leadership and assessment to instructional design and interactive media. In addition to our expertise, we take pride in our  collaborative approach and our commitment to helping our partners maximize their learning initiatives and positioning their organizations for success. 

Experience & Knowledge

Patrick A. Bennett, Ed.D., MBA, PMP
Vice President, International Institute for Innovative Instruction & Dean, School of Education

As Vice President for Academic Quality and Planning, Dr. Bennett leads a diverse team of faculty and staff dedicated to improving teaching and learning. By working closely with Franklin's Centers of Excellence, Dr. Bennett assists in developing and implementing high-quality learning solutions for Franklin University and external partners, including universities (domestic and international), Fortune 100 corporations, and governmental entities. As Dean, Dr. Bennett leads the School of Education, a community leader in preparing educators who welcome all learners, expect high outcomes, and inspire greatness from all students. Dr. Bennett has over 20 years of experience in higher education, elevating his roles and responsibilities throughout his career. He provides executive leadership and management for mission-critical projects to the university's strategic objectives and worldwide partnerships, including overseeing Franklin University's $3M Title III grant. In addition, Dr. Bennett teaches at the doctoral level and serves as lead faculty for the higher education focus within Franklin's Doctor of Education and Masters of Education programs. Dr. Bennett has a B.S. in Information Technology, an MBA with a concentration in Financial Leadership, and a Doctor of Education in Interdisciplinary Leadership from Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska. He is also a certified Project Management Professional (PMP) and a certified Quality Matters peer reviewer, author, and speaker on higher education and technology-enhanced teaching and learning.

Joel Gardner, Ph.D.
Assistant Dean, Instructional Design

Dr. Joel Gardner is the Assistant Dean of Instructional Design at Franklin University. In his 9 years at Franklin, Joel has served as instructional design faculty member, program chair, department chair and executive director. He has received multiple awards for his teaching, instructional design, research, and service as a faculty member.

Dr. Gardner holds a Ph.D. in Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences from Utah State University. He has higher education degrees from three institutions and is also a Certified Performance Technologist. Joel takes a practical, research-based approach to his management, teaching and instructional design, with the intent to focus his decisions on how to improve student learning experiences and the overall academic quality at the university.

Meghan B. Raehll, Ph.D., Ed.S., M.Div., M.A.
Assistant Dean, Center for Teaching Excellence

As a vision-driven leader in higher education and public service, Dr. Raehll has taught in higher education for over 15 years and currently has the privilege of serving as the Assistant Dean of the Center for Teaching Excellence at Franklin University. As an award-winning leader in higher education, Dr. Raehll is a growth-focused thought leader with expertise spanning global programs, data analytics, accreditation processes, faculty qualifications, cross-functional and interdisciplinary team leadership, performance evaluation, instructional coaching, and faculty development. She holds a Ph.D. from the State University at Buffalo (SUNY), an Ed.S. in Educational Leadership from the University of Kentucky, an M.A. from Duquesne University, an M.Div. from Ashland Theological Seminary, an M.A. from Trinity International University, and a B.A. from Ohio Dominican University.

Brett C. Tozer, Ed. D.
Department Chair for the School of Education

Dr. Tozer is the Department Chair for the School of Education at Franklin University. Before joining Franklin University, Dr. Tozer was the Assistant Professor of Social Studies Education, Post Baccalaureate Program Coordinator, and Department Chair of the School of Education at Urbana University, a branch campus of Franklin University. Prior to teaching in higher education, Dr. Tozer taught Social Studies in grades 9-12 as well as music in grades 5-12 in multiple school districts in Western Pennsylvania. 

Dr. Tozer earned his Doctor of Education in Curriculum and Instruction from Indiana University of Pennsylvania. He holds a Masters of Education in Administration and School Leadership from California University of Pennsylvania, has completed the University of Pennsylvania's, Pennsylvania Institute of Instructional Coaching: Critical Reading/Writing in Support of Learning Pennsylvania Literacy Network Program, received his Pennsylvania Level II Teaching Certificate Credits from Indiana University of Pennsylvania, and his Bachelors of Sciences in Education from Indiana University of Pennsylvania.  

Dr. Tozer's professional teaching certifications include Level II Middle Level Citizenship (Grades 6-9). Level II Citizenship (Grades 7-12), Level II Music (Grades PK-12), Level II Supervisor of Curriculum and Instruction (Grades PK-12), and Level I Administration (Grades PK-12).

Alyssa Darden-Munoz, MLIS
Director Learning Commons

Alyssa Darden-Muñoz joined the library team in 2013 as a librarian, and became the Director of Library in 2015, and then the Director of Learning Commons as academic support, testing, and library teams merged in 2016. Alyssa’s work involves leading the fulfillment of the Learning Commons’ strategic plan with vision, supportive relationships with faculty and staff, and commitment to serving students with resources and support to help them succeed.

Alyssa holds a Masters in Library and Information Science from Kent State University and a BA in English from Wright State University.

Kevin Stoker
Director of Implementation

Kevin Stoker serves as Director of Implementation and oversees the E-Learning Specialist team while also providing project management and governance of all course design within the Institute and managing its overall project portfolio.

Kevin has served Franklin University since 2006. Kevin’s professional experience outside of Franklin University includes 5 years of managing the Student Services team at Hondros College, where he led a team of advisors and administrators to help students achieve licensure in healthcare, finance, and real estate.

Kevin earned his Bachelor’s degree in Communications at The Ohio State University.

Brandy Bagar-Fraley, Ph.D.
Assistant Director, Center for Teaching Excellence

Dr. Bagar-Fraley joined the Center for Teaching Excellence in June 2018 currently serves as faculty and as the Assistant Director for the Center for Teaching Excellence. As Lead Faculty, she oversees the design and administration of Faculty Development courses and related programs and events, the Instructional Coaching Program, and assists in overseeing instructional quality and support for external global partnerships. She is also a doctoral faculty member with fifteen years of previous higher education teaching experience at Ohio University, Ohio University Lancaster, and Marshall University. Dr. Bagar-Fraley earned her Ph.D. in English from Ohio University in Athens, Ohio, her M.A. from Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia, and her B.A. from Concord University in Athens, West Virginia.

Matt Barclay, Ph.D.
Instructional Design Faculty

Dr. Matt Barclay is a member of the Instructional Design Faculty at Franklin. He is interested in instructional design principles for practice, learning and cognition, improving online instruction, adult learning, human performance improvement, and multimedia for instruction. Dr. Barclay holds a Ph.D. in Instructional Technology & Learning Sciences from Utah State University, a master’s degree in Instructional Systems Technology from Indiana University, and a bachelor’s degree in Family Sciences from Brigham Young University.

Christopher Casey, MLIS
Public Services and Outreach Librarian

Christopher Casey joined the library team in December 2014. Christopher’s work involves planning and promoting events and services provided by the Learning Commons. He also manages the Learning Commons space, ensuring a welcoming environment. In addition, Christopher provides assistance in the navigation and use of library resources and tools.

Christopher graduated with a B.A. English Literature from Heidelberg University and his Master of Library and Information Science from Kent State University. In his free time, he enjoys traveling, hiking, reading, gaming, and trapeze (seriously!).

Librarian Liaison Areas: Applied Management, Business Administration, Internet Marketing, Human Resource Management, Logistics, MBA, Management and Leadership, Operations and Supply Chain Management

Erin Farmer
MLIS, eResources and Acquisitions Librarian

Erin Farmer joined the Learning Commons in 2023 in her role as eResources and Acquisitions Librarian. She is responsible for administering the library's purchase of resources, including books, ebooks, databases and other content necessary to meet our patrons' research needs.

Library Liaison Areas: Allied Healthcare Management, Criminal Justice Administration, Healthcare Administration, Healthcare Information Management, Nursing, Public Administration, Public Safety Management, Safety and Homeland Security.

Erin holds a BA in English from Ohio State University and an MLIS from Kent State University.

Kevin Fidler, MBA
Data Collection and Support Coordinator

Kevin Fidler serves as the Data Collection and Support Coordinator for the School of Education.  He received a Bachelor of Arts Degree in English and a Master of Business Administration from Urbana University.  Prior to joining the School of Education, he worked as an Academic Advisor for graduate and undergraduate students, an Adjunct Professor, an Interpreter and Project Assistant at a historic house museum, a Library Assistant in an Ohio public library, as well as a Historical Interpreter.  In addition to his data related work, Kevin serves as the Taskstream Coordinator and the Completer Liaison for the School of Education.

Marc Jaffy, JD, MLIS
Scholarly Communications and Affordable Learning Librarian

Marc Jaffy joined the library in July, 2017 after a career in law. He is currently the Scholarly Communications and Affordable Learning Librarian. Before moving to that role in June, 2022, he worked as the Acquisitions Librarian. He is responsible for administering FUSE, the library’s institutional repository, as well as the university's eTextbook program, with a particular focus on making free via library eTextbooks and open educational resources available to students. Additionally, Marc serves as the LibInsights administrator, capturing and analyzing all statistics for Learning Commons services and products, as well as assisting the Franklin University community in understanding, applying, and complying with copyright law.

Marc holds a JD from Northwestern University School of Law, a Master’s of Library & Information Science from Kent State University, and a BA in Mathematical Methods in the Social Sciences / Political Science from Northwestern University

Library Liaison Areas: Office of Academic Scholarship, Doctoral Programs, Writing Programs, Instructional Design, and School of Education.

Samantha Kapp
MLIS, Archives and Special Collections Librarian

Samantha Kapp joined the Learning Commons in 2022 as the Archives and Special Collections Librarian. She is responsible for ensuring long-term preservation, organization, and storage of physical archives, as well as creating access through digitizing and publishing holdings on FUSE. Additionally, she works with the university’s collection of rare books to prioritize access and research.

Samantha holds a BA in English from Muskingham University and an MLIS from Kent State University.

Natalya Koehler, Ph.D.
Instructional Design Faculty

Dr. Natalya Koehler is an instructional design faculty at Franklin University in Columbus, OH. She received her doctoral degree from Iowa State University. Her skills range from designing online, hybrid, and face-to-face courses to guiding the development team on building interactive web-based courseware.

Dr. Koehler likes building templates for rapid e-learning design and development, teaching instructional and multimedia instructional design to graduate and undergraduate students, designing and conducting rapid prototyping and pilot testing of the designed materials through surveying and tracking technology.

Dr. Koehler's research interests include Design research on effective and efficient methods for teaching face-to-face, hybrid and online classes. She builds courseware that collects information on its use. The data collection instruments are embedded in the design. As recognition of this effort, she received 2011 AECT Research and Theory Division, Outstanding Journal Article Award.

Jessie Kong, Ph.D.
Instructional Design Faculty

Dr. Younghee Jessie Kong is a member of the Instructional Design Faculty at Franklin. She holds a Ph.D. in Workforce Development and Education from The Ohio State University, a master’s degree in Business Education Technology from The Ohio State University, and two bachelor’s degrees in Turkish and English from Han-Kook University of Foreign Studies. Her research interests lie primarily in the area of Human Resource Development, focusing on Corporate Training, Instructional Design, Online Learning, Assessment and Evaluation, and Learning and Performance Improvement.

Greg Kurtz
E-Learning Specialist

Greg earned a Bachelor of Arts in History from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. Before starting at Franklin University in 2013, he spent 20 years as a broadcast journalist and 6 years spearheading a variety of innovative programs for a leading educational publisher. Since joining Franklin, Greg has helped produce hundreds of courses for both internal and external clients while also serving as video and audio talent for various university multimedia presentations.

Kristi Lobrano, MLIS
Systems Librarian

Kristi Lobrano joined the Franklin University Nationwide Library in September 2011 as the Systems Librarian. In this role, she administers the Library’s integrated library systems and discovery tools to facilitate library operations and to provide access to information resources. In addition to managing systems, she is energized by patrons’ rapidly changing information needs and technology skills, the opportunities regarding providing library services to these patrons, and the integration of mobile technologies into library services. Beginning in 2017, she serves as the Systems Librarian for Franklin University and Urbana University.

Kristi holds a Master’s of Library & Information Science from Louisiana State University and a BS in Psychology/Sociology from Louisiana State University.

Library Liaison areas: Computer Science (undergraduate, graduate), Information Security, Information Technology, Interactive Media Design, Management Information Sciences, Web Development and more as listed in the library liaison information guide.

Trent McMahon
E-Learning Specialist

Trent McMahon is an E-Learning Specialist for the International Institute for Innovative Instruction. He received his Bachelor’s degree in English and Creative Writing from the University of Iowa, with a designation in nonfiction writing. Before Franklin, Trent worked as a developmental- and copy-editor for a startup editing company, and has held roles in search engine optimization and journalism. As an ELS at Franklin, Trent edits and inputs course materials across multiple platforms, and works alongside the team to deliver quality courses both internally and to external clients across the globe. He also assists in the management of the university’s e-textbooks, courseware platforms, and physical textbooks.

Adam Monk, MA
E-Learning Specialist

Adam serves as an E-Learning Specialist where he edits and inputs course materials across multiple platforms, and works alongside the team to deliver quality courses both internally and to external clients across the globe.

Adam earned his Masters degree in Communications from The Ohio State University and a Bachelor of Arts in Communication from Ohio University.

Xiaopeng David Ni, Ph.D.
Instructional Design Faculty

Dr. David Ni is currently an instructional design faculty member at Franklin University. His primary research interest is the intersection of design perspectives and emerging technologies to optimize teaching, learning, and educational leadership. He has participated in a broad range of funded research projects including training for emergency population protection, pathways to bilingualism, using mobile technology to improve student success and retention.

Dr. Ni has also made numerous presentations and published various articles on instructional design and educational leadership in the digital age. He consults regularly with businesses and organizations on strategic planning and innovation. Dr. Ni actively promotes international connection and collaboration. Dr. Ni is a master reviewer of the nationally recognized program: Quality Matters (QM). He serves on editorial board of International Journal of Social Media and Interactive Learning Environment (IJ-SMILE), and the program committee of the United Kingdom’s Association of Learning Technology (ALT). He is also a board member of Chinese School Association in the United States (CSAUS).

Dr. Ni received his PhD in Instructional Technology from the University of Georgia in 2007, and his MS in Educational Technology from East China Normal University in 2002. Prior to joining Franklin University, Dr. Ni spent two years as a Senior Instructional Designer at Cleveland State University and three years as an eLearning Research Associate at Michigan State University. Before he came to the U.S., he was a faculty member of educational technology at Suzhou University in China.

Roberta Niche, M.Ed.
Instructional Design Faculty

Roberta Niche earned her Masters in Education (Instructional Technology) from California State University, Sacramento. She also holds a Bachelor of Science in Journalism from the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University. She was a credentialed teacher in California and Texas and has 25 years of experience in classroom teaching and in leading staff development. Prior to her career as an educator, Roberta was an officer in the United States Navy where her assignments included directing training for a 400 person aviation squadron.

Roberta joined Franklin University in 2014. She has designed courses for numerous clients, including Saudi Electronic University, Urbana University, Al Baha University, Nationwide, and The Columbus Council on World Affairs. Her professional interests include critical thinking, collaborative learning, authentic assessment, and information literacy.

Matt Rundell
E-Learning Specialist

Matt serves as an E-Learning Specialist where he edits and inputs course materials across multiple platforms, and works alongside the team to deliver quality courses both internally and to external clients across the globe.

Matt earned a bachelor of arts in Film Studies from Wayne State University. Since graduation, Matt has worked for and with Turner Broadcast, Cartoon Network, Disney Television, Teacher’s Discovery and finally Franklin University.

Elisha Teague, MA
Assistant Director, Learning Resources at the Learning Commons

Elisha Teague joined the Student Learning Center team in November 2012 as the Learning Resources and Lab Coordinator, and became the Assistant Director, Learning Resources at the Learning Commons in August 2016.

Elisha is responsible for the planning and implementation of Franklin’s academic support programs (tutoring, Structured Learning Assistance and workshops). In this role, she helps empower students to become independent lifelong learners.

In addition to working in the Learning Commons, Elisha is also serves as Lead Faculty for Professional Foundations 121 courses.

Elisha’s holds a Master’s of Arts in Education and a BA in Theatre from The Ohio State University.

Danielle Wall
Lead Faculty, School of Education

Professor Wall is lead faculty in the School of Education at Franklin University. Prior to this time, she served as an intervention specialist in grades 6-8 in a rural school district in Ohio and as a science and social studies teacher in both 6th and 8th grades in a large suburban district in Charlotte, North Carolina.  
 
Professor Wall earned her Masters of Education Degree in Curriculum and Instruction with a concentration in Special Education from Ashland University. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Education with a concentration in middle school science and social studies from Malone University. She holds professional teaching licenses in both Middle Childhood Education (4-9) Science and Social Studies and Intervention Specialist (K-12).