ATHENS, Ohio (April 8, 2005) -- Marjorie Helsel DeWert, a graduate of Athens High School, has been named interim director for the Ohio University Center for Innovations in Technology for Learning (CITL). She replaces Ann Kovalchick, who is leaving the university.
DeWert is currently a visiting associate professor in the instructional technology program and a special assistant to the provost on strategic planning at Ohio University. She has 20 years of experience in the educational technology industry and higher education leadership.
Prior to returning to her native state last fall, DeWert was the senior education adviser for SAS inSchool, a division of the SAS Institute, the world's largest privately held software company. Formed in 1996 by the founders of SAS for philanthropic purposes, SAS inSchool specializes in the creation of Web-based, interactive multimedia curriculum resources for grades eight through 14 in the core disciplines of science, mathematics, social studies, English and Spanish.
Prior to joining SAS inSchool, she was an assistant professor of educational psychology and director of learning and technology services for the School of Education at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. DeWert also has served as a marketing executive and education technology consultant with Apple Computer and a public school teacher of middle-grade students with special needs.
DeWert earned a doctorate in special education with a concentration in instructional design/technology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where she was a Pogue Scholar. She earned a master's degree in special education and a bachelor's degree in chemistry (magna cum laude) from Ohio University.
Commenting on her return to Ohio University, DeWert said, "During his welcoming address to new faculty this fall, President McDavis remarked, 'It's not just a job. It's my alma mater.' I feel exactly the same way.
"My experiences at Ohio University, especially my personal interactions with caring professors such as Len Pikaart, Barbara Reeves and Klaus Eldridge, sparked a lifelong interest in how people learn and how technology can support learning. I look forward to working with and learning from faculty colleagues here at Ohio University who share this interest."
DeWert said she returned to the Athens area to assist her parents, both of whom are Ohio University emeriti professors, and brother who is developmentally disabled. Her father, Robert, Helsel is a former chair of the Department of Mathematics. Her mother, Elsie, began her Ohio University career as chair of the Special Education program in the College of Education and later founded and directed the university's Center for Human Development. The center was the first in the Athens area that studied developmental delays in infants and young children. In 2002, her mother was named to the Ohio Women's Hall of Fame.
[ 30 ]
Media Contact: George Mauzy, (740) 597-1794 or mauzy@ohio.edu
Editors: A photo of DeWert can be found at www.ohiou.edu/news/pix/DEWERT_MARJORIE.JPG
Related Links:
