D2L Fusion 2026 Speakers

Guest Keynote

Liz Bohannon

Don’t miss our Guest Keynote by Entrepreneur, Speaker & Bestselling Author Liz Bohannan.

Mainstage Speakers

Ben Campbell
VP, Customer Success, D2L

Ben Campbell
VP, Customer Success, D2L Ben Campbell is the VP of Customer Success at D2L, where he’s worked for 13 years. In that time, he has worked with hundreds of institutions to help increase their return on investment in learning technology. Prior to joining D2L, Ben worked at the University of Florida and UC Berkeley as an instructional designer and product manager. He lives in Asheville, NC, with his wife and 2 children. He holds a Master’s in Educational Technology and a Bachelor’s in Film from UF.
Christian Pantel
Chief Product Officer, D2L

Christian Pantel
Chief Product Officer, D2L
Christian was appointed Chief Product Officer in 2024. He leads global Product Strategy, Product Management, Product Design, User Experience Research and Accessibility at D2L. Christian first joined the company in 2015 and has expanded his leadership in product, design, and engineering. He has extensive experience in Education Technology and knows D2L customers well. With deep empathy for diverse learners and educators, Christian has led D2L to develop products with a world-class user experience.

Christian has over 25 years of leadership experience building software at notable enterprise software companies including Workday, Infor, and PeopleSoft. Christian earned a Master of Science in computing science from Simon Fraser University, specializing in human-computer interaction and Web-based learning environments. He also holds a Bachelor of Computer Science (Honours) from the University of Manitoba. Christian lives in Winnipeg with his wife and four children.
Dr. Cristi Ford
Chief Learning Officer, D2L

Dr. Cristi Ford
Chief Learning Officer, D2L
Dr. Cristi Ford serves as the Chief Learning Officer at D2L, bringing more than 20 years of experience in higher education, secondary education, project management, program evaluation, training, and student services. In this role, she provides strategic leadership and thought direction, ensuring that D2L remains at the forefront of innovation in learning, teaching, and academic affairs. Her work extends across institutional, corporate, and global landscapes, driving impactful change in digital learning environments.

Dr. Ford has held key roles across secondary and higher education, as well as on the international stage, where she has played a pivotal role in expanding online learning in both the U.S. and the African continent. Her expertise includes building and scaling online education programs, faculty development, instructional design, and pedagogical best practices.

Dr. Ford’s contributions to the field have been widely recognized. She was selected as a 2022 OLC Fellow by the Online Learning Consortium—the highest professional distinction awarded by the association—in recognition of her dedication to advancing quality online education. Known for her visionary leadership, she is committed to helping institutions build capacity, scale digital learning, and enhance student success. And in 2024, she received the Mildred and Charles Wedemeyer Award, recognizing her as an outstanding practitioner in distance education.
Imran Ahmed
SVP, Product Marketing, D2L

Imran Ahmed
SVP, Product Marketing, D2L Imran Ahmed is Vice President of Product Marketing at D2L, where he leads global GTM strategy across the K–12, higher ed, and corporate learning markets. With over 15 years in SaaS and EdTech, including roles at Demandbase, ADP, and Ceridian, Imran is known for crafting differentiated positioning and driving cross-functional alignment. His focus on customer-centric messaging and market-backed insights has helped scale some of the industry’s most trusted brands.
Jack Pinette
VP, Product Strategy, D2L

Jack Pinette
VP, Product Strategy, D2L Jack has worked in Ed Tech for more than 20 years, on both the institutional and industry side. He currently leads product strategy at D2L, helping to build Brightspace. Jack has the great privilege of working with an amazing set of institutions helping tens of millions of learners meet their educational goals, and with a smart, capable and caring group of professionals dedicated to advancing education. D2L’s company mission is to transform the way the world learns, and a big part of that is helping absolutely everyone to create and deliver amazing, engaging learning experiences – full of video and audio, interactives, and now AI as well. Jack helps direct that from his home in San Diego.
John Baker
Founder, President and CEO, D2L

John Baker
Founder, President and CEO, D2L
John founded D2L in 1999, at the age of twenty-two, while attending the University of Waterloo. He strongly believes that learning is the foundation upon which all progress and achievement rests.

He is a member of the Business Council of Canada, board member of the Business Higher Education Roundtable, member of the Industry Strategy Council in Canada, Chair of the Digital Economic Strategy Table in Canada, has served on the Governing Council of the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, is the Past Chair of the board of Communitech, and is a board member of Canada’s National Ballet School.

John was awarded the Meritorious Service Cross, the EY Entrepreneur of the Year (Ontario for Software and Technology), Young Alumni Achievement Medal from University of Waterloo, and Intrepid Entrepreneur of the Year in Waterloo Region Hall of Fame.

John graduated from the University of Waterloo with an Honours B.A.Sc. in Systems Design Engineering, with First Class Honours and an option in Management Sciences.
Justin Mullen
Account Executive, D2L

Justin Mullen
Account Executive, D2L
Kim Loebach
VP, Professional Services, D2L

Kim Loebach
VP, Professional Services, D2L Kim Loebach is the Vice President of Professional Services at D2L, where she leads global teams across implementation, training, and learning services. With 15 years in EdTech, Kim is known for her collaborative leadership and customer-centric approach. She is passionate about helping organizations successfully adopt and scale solutions that transform learning through innovative technology and thoughtful content design. Kim and her teams are helping accelerate AI innovation across D2L while keeping people, learning, and customer experience at the center.
Linda Feng
VP, Product Management, D2L

Linda Feng
VP, Product Management, D2L Linda Feng is Vice President of Product at D2L (Desire2Learn), where she leads Creator+, H5P, and Createspace—a set of products for creating, managing, and delivering engaging learning content at scale. She also serves on the Board of Directors for 1EdTech and is a 2025 Women in AI Fellow with the EDSAFE AI Alliance, contributing to work at the intersection of AI and education. Linda brings over two decades of experience across product, platform, and architecture roles in edtech and enterprise software, most recently leading Architecture at D2L. Her background includes roles at Unicon, Instructure, and Oracle, along with advising roles on initiatives led by the Gates Foundation, EDUCAUSE, and NewStateU, focused on interoperability, standards, student success, learning analytics, and large-scale systems.
Whitney Williams
Manager, Customer Success, D2L

Whitney Williams
Manager, Customer Success, D2L Whitney is a former K-12 school teacher and part of the Customer Success team at D2L. She supports large, strategic clients in meeting their Brightspace usage and adoption goals, with a focus on pedagogical best practice. Whitney is ready to help you discuss tech tool change management strategies, pedagogical best practice in the online and technology-enhanced classroom space, as well as current trends in education!

Featured Speakers

Andy Thomas
Vice-President, Precertification Education, CPA Canada

Andy Thomas
Vice-President, Precertification Education, CPA Canada
As vice-president, Education, Andy is responsible for the strategic direction and operational oversight of CPA Canada’s precertification and post-certification education programs, including the Common Final Examination. With more than 30 years of experience in professional education and examinations, Andy provides leadership and guidance to CPA Canada’s education and certification staff, volunteers and contractors. Altogether, the team shapes the future of the accounting profession by developing leading-edge educational programs and examinations.

In his role, Andy is also a member of the Professional Education Management Committee, the Professional Learning and Development Steering Committee, the International Qualifications Assessment Committee and is a key contributor to the profession’s New Certification Program project, which addresses the implementation of the CPA profession’s reimagined Competency Map, as well as the redesign and redevelopment of the Professional Education Program (PEP).

Previously, Andy was director, Professional Program Examinations at CPA Canada. During this time, he oversaw all activities associated with the PEP and Preparatory Education Program, including content creation, delivery, assessment and student feedback.

Before joining CPA Canada, Andy was director, Corporate Services at Banff Mineral Springs Hospital, where he managed all administrative and financial aspects of the business. He also spent eight years at Deloitte working on accounting and auditing engagements for multinational clients before becoming a partner and owner of Thomas & Fleck. There, he ran the professional public chartered accountancy firm until the partnership was sold in 2003.
Angela Gunder, PhD
CEO and Founder, Opened Culture

Angela Gunder, PhD
CEO and Founder, Opened Culture
Dr. Angela Gunder is a transformative leader, speaker, and educator working to advance access to education globally. As the principal and founder of Opened Culture (OEC), a pioneering collaboratory and strategic consultancy dedicated to empowering stakeholders across the educational ecosystem to establish and sustain cultures of openness, she leads high-impact teams in solving the ubiquitous challenges facing the field in reimagining a more inclusive future of learning. Through leading-edge research, academic innovation, and community engagement, OEC guides institutions and communities in leveraging innovative strategies, pedagogies, and technologies to instantiate and sustain collaborative and engaged cultures of openness.

Prior to founding OEC, Angela served as the Chief Academic Officer and Vice President of Learning for the Online Learning Consortium (OLC), where she was responsible for leading the strategy and operations of a comprehensive portfolio of services and initiatives reaching educators at over 850 member institutions across the globe. This included guiding the Center for Professional Learning, the Research Center, strategic partnerships and consulting, grants, quality initiatives, programming and global events, and community engagement. From 2020 to 2024, she served as the OLC lead for Every Learner Everywhere, a solutions network funded by The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation focused on advancing digital learning equity. In this capacity, she co-authored numerous open-knowledge products on high-quality digital learning, caring for students, and effective practices for culturally-responsive instructional design.
Baijul Shukla
VP, Member Experience and Corporate Strategy, Ontario Society of Professional Engineers

Baijul Shukla
VP, Member Experience and Corporate Strategy, Ontario Society of Professional Engineers
As Vice President, Member Experience and Corporate Strategy at the Ontario Society of Professional Engineers (OSPE), I lead initiatives to enhance member engagement, support organizational growth, and deliver value to Ontario’s engineering community. With over a decade of experience in customer experience, marketing strategy, and strategic planning, I focus on fostering collaboration and innovation to align our programs with the evolving needs of our members.

My work is driven by a commitment to advancing OSPE’s mission through the development and execution of strategic programs, partnerships, and revenue diversification efforts. I aim to create impactful, inclusive, and forward-thinking initiatives that empower engineers and reinforce OSPE’s position as a leading voice in the profession.
Barry Sugarman
Interim Vice President, Integrative Learning Design, University of Maryland Global Campus

Barry Sugarman
Interim Vice President, Integrative Learning Design, University of Maryland Global Campus
Dr. Barry Sugarman is the Interim VP for Integrative Learning Design (ILD) at UMGC where he oversees the learning design and curriculum development teams for the University. Those teams have recently embarked on a major project to create UMGC’s AI-enabled Next Generation Learning Model. Before joining UMGC, Barry served as VP for Learning Platforms with UMGC’s IT partner, AccelerEd.

Prior to UMGC & AccelerEd, Barry served as Vice Provost and Dean of the School of Lifelong Learning at Walden University. Earlier, Barry had served as Vice President for Academic and Student Affairs/Chief Academic Officer at Divine Mercy University (DMU) in Sterling, Virginia where Barry spearheaded DMU’s digital transformation.

Dr. Sugarman completed his Ph.D. in Education at Columbia University, his MBA in Marketing at Pace University, and his BA in Psychology at University of Rochester.
Jeff Cobb
Tagoras co-founder and managing director , Tagoras

Jeff Cobb
Tagoras co-founder and managing director , Tagoras
For nearly two decades, Tagoras co-founder and managing director Jeff Cobb has been a leading thinker and voice in the rapidly evolving market for adult lifelong learning. As a consultant, teacher, and author, he has been at the forefront of market trends and has developed deep expertise in helping organizations grow and improve their continuing education and professional development businesses.

Prior to Tagoras, Jeff was co-founder and CEO of Isoph, a leading provider of e-learning technologies and services to associations. He has also served as senior vice president of business development for Quisic, an e-learning partner to top-tier business schools and Fortune 500 companies, and vice president of business development for LearnSomething.
Jessica Kruger, PhD
Director of Teaching Innovation and Excellence and Clinical Associate Professor , University at Buffalo (SUNY)

Jessica Kruger, PhD
Director of Teaching Innovation and Excellence and Clinical Associate Professor , University at Buffalo (SUNY) Jessica Kruger, PhD is a Clinical Associate Professor in the Department of Community Health and Health Behavior at the University at Buffalo and Director of Teaching Innovation and Excellence in the School of Public Health and Health Professions. Her scholarly work focuses on innovative, equity‑centered teaching practices in public health and health professions education, with particular emphasis on faculty development, technology‑enhanced learning, and inclusive course design. She leads institution‑wide initiatives to advance evidence‑based pedagogy and contributes to the scholarship of teaching and learning through collaborative, interdisciplinary work.
Justin Menard
CEO, ListEdTech

Justin Menard
CEO, ListEdTech
Justin Menard is a data strategist and CEO of ListEdTech, a global market research firm mapping technology adoption across higher education and K–12 institutions. Since 2000, he has worked in the higher education sector, including senior roles at the University of Ottawa where he contributed to major enterprise system implementations.

Frustrated by the lack of transparent market data to guide software decisions, Justin co-founded ListEdTech in 2014. Under his leadership, the company has grown into a trusted intelligence source for institutions, investors, and edtech companies seeking clarity in a rapidly evolving market.

His work focuses on helping education leaders move beyond guesswork—using data to see both what is happening today and what is coming next.
Dr. Justin Rose
Executive Director, Center for Teaching and Learning, Southeastern University

Dr. Justin Rose
Executive Director, Center for Teaching and Learning, Southeastern University Justin serves as Vice Provost for Digital Strategy at Southeastern University in Lakeland, FL, where he leads digital learning, institutional research and effectiveness, accreditation and compliance, and academic operations. Prior to his time at SEU, he led teams in customer education, instructional design, and analytics product management in corporate EdTech. Justin’s writing has been featured in AIR’s publications, Campus Technology, University Business, and other leading education organizations. Research interests include artificial intelligence, student success, competency based education, experiential learning, and more.
Lucy Cui, PhD
Assistant Professor, SUNY New Paltz

Lucy Cui, PhD
Assistant Professor, SUNY New Paltz Lucy Cui is an Assistant Professor of Psychology at the State University of New York (SUNY) at New Paltz. She completed her PhD in Cognitive Psychology from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Her research interests include learning (with emerging technologies), user experience, and data visualization. She will be presenting a project funded by the D2L Educators-in-Residence program. She has previously completed an internally funded classroom study on using board games in the classroom. A database of over 50 psychology-related board games can be found on her website: lucycui.com. She has used multiple learning management systems: Moodle, Blackboard, Canvas, and Brightspace and over 8 years of higher education teaching experience in online, hybrid, and in-person modalities.
Dr. Luke Hobson
Assistant Director of Instructional Design for MIT xPRO, Lecturer at the University of Miami’s School of Education and Human Development, MIT

Dr. Luke Hobson
Assistant Director of Instructional Design for MIT xPRO, Lecturer at the University of Miami’s School of Education and Human Development, MIT Dr. Luke Hobson is the Assistant Director of Instructional Design for MIT xPRO, an Instructor for the University of Miami’s School of Education and Human Development, and the Instructor for Instructional Design Institute. He’s also the author of the book, What I Wish I Knew Before Becoming an Instructional Designer. He was named one of the top learning influencers in 2022 and top e-learning experts in 2023.
Dr. Neil Hair
Executive Director, Center for Teaching and Learning, Rochester Institute of Technology

Dr. Neil Hair
Executive Director, Center for Teaching and Learning, Rochester Institute of Technology Dr. Neil Hair is Executive Director of the Center for Teaching and Learning and Professor of Marketing at RIT. His research and consulting focus on relationship marketing, specifically analyzing perceptions of online customer experience in retail and higher education environments. With over 100 speaking engagements, Dr. Hair is considered a leading authority in digital experience. As Executive Director of CTL, he leads support for academic technologies, classroom AV, faculty fellows, and RIT’s teaching consultants. Learn more at https://www.linkedin.com/in/neilhair/.
Dr. Nicole Johnson
Executive Director, Canadian Digital Learning Research Association

Dr. Nicole Johnson
Executive Director, Canadian Digital Learning Research Association Dr. Nicole Johnson is internationally recognized as a leading expert in digital learning research.
Phil Hill
Educational Technology Consultant & Industry Analyst, Phil Hill & Associates

Phil Hill
Educational Technology Consultant & Industry Analyst, Phil Hill & Associates
Phil is Publisher of the On EdTech blog and lead at Phil Hill & Associates. As a market analyst, Phil has analyzed the growth of technology-enabled change for educational institutions, uncovering and describing the major trends and implications for the broader market. His unique graphics and visual presentations have been widely used in the industry. As an independent consultant, Phil helps educational institutions, technology and content vendors, and policy makers as they consider and implement new initiatives. Phil’s collegiate clients have included Western Governors University, California Community College System, Iowa State University, Bournemouth University, Pearson Education, Coursera, and others. His corporate clients have included Pearson, Lumen Learning, Authess, Acrobatiq, Coursera, and Cisco.

Previously Phil was an independent consultant through HBO Systems and Delta Initiative. In addition to On EdTech, Phil has also written for EDUCAUSE Review, Inside Higher Ed, the Chronicle of Higher Education, the Washington Post, and the LA Times. He has been interviewed and quoted at National Public Radio, Inside Higher Ed, the Chronicle of Higher Education, Buzzfeed Education, the New York Times, and Washington Business Journal.
Stephanie da Silva Rodrigues de Souza, PhD
Visiting Assistant Professor, University at Albany (SUNY)

Stephanie da Silva Rodrigues de Souza, PhD
Visiting Assistant Professor, University at Albany (SUNY) Stephanie S.R. de Souza is a Lecturer at the University at Albany (SUNY). She holds a PhD in Medical and Human Microbiology and has over 10 years of experience in the field. Since 2024, she has been teaching large undergraduate microbiology courses, in which she designs inclusive, highly interactive learning environments. Her work focuses on developing practical, scalable, and evidence-based strategies to enhance student engagement, provide timely feedback, and support student success in large-enrollment STEM courses.
Travis Kruger
Sr. Manager, Manager, Energy Safety Canada

Travis Kruger
Sr. Manager, Manager, Energy Safety Canada Travis Kruger is an experienced IT professional who has worked in various roles at Shell Canada, including as an IT Manager for different divisions. Travis has also worked as a Director of Corporate IT at AltaGas Ltd. Travis is currently serving as the Manager of Applications at Energy Safety Canada, where Travis is responsible for managing the IT Applications area and providing team development and mentoring. Travis holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science from the University of Victoria.

Speakers

Rebecca Achurch
CEO
Achurch Consulting
Joseph Aguilar
Instructional Technology Support Specialist
The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
Imran Ahmed
SVP, Customer and Product Marketing
D2L
Asim Ali
Executive Director, Biggio Center
Auburn University
Adam Amodeo
Senior Instructional Technologist
University of Arizona
Joy Anderson
Programme Manager
Te Aho o Te Kura Pounamu (Te Kura)
Sergio Armendariz Quintero
Instructional Designer
El Paso Community College
Tim Au-Yeung
Online Learning Systems Administrator
University of Windsor
Cristina Babaris
Learning Technology Specialist I
Michigan Virtual
Elissa Baker
Director for Distance and Online Learning
Hudson Valley Community College
John Baker
CEO and Board Chair
D2L
Nicholas Balderas
Instructional Technology Support Specialist
The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
Justin Bamberg
LMS & Multimedia Design Technologist
Delta College
Diana Bang
Instructional Designer
City of Saskatoon
Ryan Barber
Sales Manager
H5P Group
Dylan Bartlett
President and CEO
Supply Chain Canada
Katherine Bastowros
Senior Manager of Training for Specialty Health
McKesson
Sebastian Basualto
Customer Success Specialist (K12)
D2L
Dawn Bauer
Instructional Technologist
Oakland Community College
Mark Bautista
Director, Digital Learning Solutions
UMass Global
Dr. Jody Blankenship
Nursing Department Chair
SUNY Alfred State College
Mary Bollash
Engineering Learning & Development Officer
Carrier
Klara A. Bonder
Teamlead Educational Applications
Delft University of Technology
Becky Borello
Director Office of Instructional Technology, Training, and Teaching Development
Chatham University
Jesse Brock
Clinical Assistant Professor
University of West Georgia
Terri H. Brown
Faculty Development Support, Assistant Professor, and Director of eLearning
Georgia Southern University, East Georgia Campus
Danielle Burt
Manager, Solution Engineering
D2L
Emmanuel Cadet
Web Developer
University of Ottawa