Deb Bushway - Keynote Speaker

Deb Bushway currently serves as the President and CEO at Northwestern Health Sciences University, a private, not-for-profit institution in Minnesota. With experience leading in the public, for-profit and not-for-profit environments, Bushway brings a broad perspective regarding the balance of access, innovation and quality in higher education. She has expertise in policy regarding distance education and its surrounding technologies, including financial aid delivery.

In the past, she has worked closely with the Competency-Based Education Network (C-BEN), as Senior Advisor in the Office of the Undersecretary at the US Department of Education in Washington, DC, as a consultant to the Lumina Foundation regarding CBE, at the University of Wisconsin – Extension, as a founding Board Member for Quality Matters, as Vice President of Academic Innovation, Provost and interim President at Capella University and as a full professor at Metropolitan State University in Minnesota.

She pioneered the development and implementation of a successful competency based, direct assessment program. She co-authored the book “A Leader’s Guide to Competency-Based Education: From Inception to Implementation”.

She believes that the higher education ecosystem must continue to create space for collaborative leadership to leverage educational technology in support of our nation’s most pressing higher education needs: equity, achievement, access and quality.

Sue Stalewski - Workshop/Breakout Speaker

Susan Stalewski, MBA, MLS ASCP cm, is the Director of Academic Initiatives and Planning for the UW Milwaukee College of Health Sciences. She has facilitated online and competency-based programming, student success, and equity initiatives and has served as the Academic Program Lead for the three Flex initiatives in the College for eight years. Susan has been recognized as a leader in teaching and learning and instructional technology strategies within the UW Milwaukee and extended communities.

Breakout Speakers

Jessica Hertig:

Jessica Hertig is a Clinical Instructor at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee where she has taught in the undergraduate, graduate, and RN-BSN programs since 2018. She aspires to assist her students to be successful nurses and colleagues. She received her BSN from Alverno College in 2004 and her MSN with an emphasis on Leadership & Management from Western Governor’s University in 2014. Her clinical practice specialty is acute care case management.

Kim Kostka:

Kim Kostka assists UWEX in managing the Flexible Option degree programs and certificates and is also a Professor in the chemistry faculty at the College of Integrated Studies at UW-Whitewater.

Eileen Horn:

Eileen Horn is a Senior Instructional Designer with the University of Wisconsin Extended Campus. Eileen has been with the Flexible Option program from the beginning. She was instrumental in helping to define design standards and processes for CBE development, including high-impact practices. With the program up and running she continues to work with faculty to design, develop, and deliver CBE courses offered. Eileen earned her Certificate in Distance Education from the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Education and her M.S. degree in Administrative Leadership from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

Terry McGovern:

Terry McGovern earned two doctorates, his Doctorate of Business Administration from the University of South Florida’s Muma School of Business and a Doctorate of Management from the University of Phoenix’s School of Advanced Studies. He also holds an M.S. from the University of San Francisco, an M.H.S. from Providence University, an M.S. in Management from the Air Force Institute of Technology, and a B.A. from the University of Iowa. He is currently an Assistant Professor of Management and Business at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside. Dr. McGovern’s areas of expertise include leadership, strategy, organizational behavior, and professional ethics.

Nicole Simonson:

Nicole Simonson DNP, RN is the Director of RN-to-BSN Completion Programs and Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee College of Nursing. She received her Baccalaureate in Science of Nursing degree from Columbia College of Nursing, Master’s in Science of Nursing with an emphasis in Nurse Education at Kaplan University, and Doctoral in Nursing Practice- Nurse Executive Track at University of Wisconsin Milwaukee.

Most recently, Dr. Simonson has been working on OER for RN to BSN transition to practice. Additionally, Dr. Simonson’s special interests include interprofessional collaboration, education, and leadership. She has taught within the undergraduate, direct entry MN, and RN-to-BSN completion programs. Dr. Simonson’s clinical experience includes acute care in cardiac stepdown, intensive care unit, cardiac cath lab, and administrative nursing supervision.

Helen White:

Helen White is a Media Strategist at UW Extended Campus in Madison, where she produces digital content to support teaching and learning for the Flexible Option programs, the Collaborative Degree Programs, and Independent Learning.

Kristin Woodward:

Kristin Woodward is the Teaching and Team Lead for the Golda Mier Library at UW-Milwaukee.