|
Meet the Business Management Team
Meet the WEAVEonline Team
These are the folks you will be talking with as you learn about WEAVEonline, consider the
potential benefits of WEAVEonline at your institution, and as a subscriber, become
involved in the ongoing development and implementation of WEAVEonline.
Jean Yerian:
Director, Assessment Management
 “I had the rare
opportunity to work with colleagues at VCU in addressing our assessment needs, and now
I have the additional opportunity to see others
benefit from and contribute to WEAVEonline’s continued refinement and growth. It may sound
corny, but it is a real privilege to work directly with subscribers in using and enhancing
WEAVEonline.”
Jean was one of the primary developers of WEAVEonline. She currently serves as Director
of Assessment at VCU. With experience in public and private, two-year and four-year higher
education, she brings a rich higher education background and has won awards for her work in
academic and student affairs.
Tim Gilbert:
Regional Director, Assessment Management
 "As a potential WEAVEonline customer, I was very impressed with the opportunities it presented to our university. After an exciting on-line demo, I was hooked! Now, I’m thrilled to be a member of the WEAVEonline team. Having been a user myself, I have an understanding of the issues facing an institution as they develop new assessment practices and the pressures of the accreditation process."
Tim has over 30 years of experience in education. He has been active in curriculum assessment and reform at many levels and frequently has served as a consultant to schools and districts. Tim has been very active in regional accreditation for many years. He has experience assisting with development and assessment of curriculum alignment and mapping. Most recently, Tim administered an authentic assessment program for medical students and residents.
Deb Leeper:
Regional Director, Assessment Management
 “When I saw WEAVEonline at a conference several years ago, I realized that the way I was trying to manage institutional effectiveness at my institution was like being a carpenter, still using a chisel, and not even realizing that a router existed. I returned to campus and told the president about my 'discovery.' After seeing WEAVEonline demonstrated to the Executive Council, a faculty member attending the meeting told the president, 'We need this!' – a sentiment the president shared since the college was getting ready for reaffirmation of accreditation. Our institution was the first community college in the nation to subscribe to WEAVEonline. Through using the software, users’ understanding of how all the various pieces of institutional effectiveness fit together has grown tremendously.”
Deb was a faculty member for ten years and has more than 15 years of institutional effectiveness, institutional research, and accreditation experience in community colleges in two states. She is pleased to have an opportunity to work with subscribers to harness their institutions’ potential for engaging in an integrated and effective assessment, planning, and budgeting process.
Kristin Rice:
Director, Subscriber Implementation and Support
 “WEAVEonline had me hooked from the demo!” Kristin was drawn to WEAVEonline as a means to streamline the annual assessment process at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs (UCCS). Timesaving features such as searching, sending emails, and automatic data rollovers were most inviting while using an accepted assessment tool, created by assessment professionals, would provide some validation to the process.
Kristin has worked in higher education for over ten years, has masters’ degrees in higher education and environmental studies, and was most recently the Campus Learning Outcomes Coordinator at UCCS. She is excited to use her knowledge about assessment in higher education to assist potential and current WEAVEonline subscribers with their assessment needs.
Gail Hirst:
Director, Resource Development
 "I believe that 21st century learners deserve a 21st century model of learning! I have joined the WEAVEonline team because I know that everyone at WEAVEonline believes the same and is working tirelessly to provide you with the tools to help you fulfill this vision."
"Providing products, such as WEAVEonline, for you to collaboratively collect and assess data is only the beginning. Being part of the team that develops a variety of companion products and services that supports the blended learning model that is 21st century learning is enormously exciting and invigorating. Ultimately, I believe these tools will help us all chart a new course for academic success at your institution. It can’t get more real than that!"
Gail has over 35 years of experience in all aspects of K-12 education including a wealth of experiences designing, developing, and delivering differentiated resources that improve learning systems at all levels.
Barbara Fuhrmann:
Assessment Advisor
 “I found WEAVEonline so
compelling that I came out of retirement in order to share my enthusiasm with you. I provide ongoing accreditation and assessment management expertise for WEAVEonline products and services.”
Barbara is professor emeritus and dean emeritus, with over 35 years of experience in higher
education. Her experiences with institutional and professional accreditation complement her roots
in the professoriate and academic administration.
Lynn Laakkonen:
Manager, Institutional Relations
 “I was fascinated when I first saw how intuitively-designed WEAVEonline was for such a comprehensive system with the capability to meet electronic needs across an entire institution! What an honor to join a team of professionals with such cumulative years’ experience in planning, assessment, and quality improvement initiatives in higher education.”
Lynn brings to WEAVEonline expertise in electronic assessment systems development, implementation, training, and support at a statewide level with numerous institutions. Her previous work includes one-on-one, on-site, small and large group, and online training and support with hundreds of higher education administrators, faculty, and students in standards-based electronic assessment.
Matt Urey:
Marketing and Events Coordinator
 “After relocating to Richmond, I had an opportunity to join a team of very talented people and to lend my skills in event planning, marketing, and project management. I refer to the WEAVEonline team and subscribers as my second family.”
Matt has over ten years experience planning events for higher education and corporate businesses as well as providing public relations, graphic design, and serving as the Director of Student Orientation for a community college. Matt’s combined experience is invaluable to managing WEAVEonline’s busy conference and office schedule.
Allen Smothers:
Lead Developer
 “After meeting with staff of WEAVEonline, I knew this was a project to get excited about. WEAVEonline is software developed by the people who use for the people who use it. Everyone in the company is dedicated to getting it right because they will use it themselves. It is very rewarding to help people help themselves.”
Allen has over ten years experience developing web-based application. His passion is developing intuitive, attractive, and
effective interfaces. Prior to becoming a software engineer, Allen received his B.A. From Virginia Commonwealth University and attended George Mason for his M.A. It was in a graduate course for Science Fiction that he developed an interest in information technology.
Jim Yucha:
Director of Technology
 “At VCU we developed WEAVEonline to not only handle the
mechanics of preparing for reaffirmation of accreditation, but also to encourage self-evaluation
and to open avenues for improvement. I am pleased to be involved in creating a product that
contributes to improving the quality of higher education.”
Jim has been involved with WEAVEonline since its inception. He currently serves as Director
of Web Support Services at VCU. With his background in application design, accessibility and user
interface engineering, he provides expertise for web services in higher education.
Meet the Business Management Team
|
