Miami Online Staff

Greg Brainard has more than 18 years of higher education leadership experience with nationally ranked and recognized universities and 14 years in business ownership of multi-state companies. He has led the way for groundbreaking teaching and learning programs at multiple institutions. Greg has proven leadership in student success programs, quality teaching delivery, higher education operations, and nationally ranked program development, to name a few.

Greg has actively taught undergraduate and graduate courses since 2007 in human resources management, business development and operations, and various other business-focused content areas. In addition, Greg has mentored new faculty at previous institutions and trained thousands of existing faculty members at nationally recognized universities. Greg's passion for higher education student success, distance education teaching techniques, online learning technologies and tools, increased learning administration, and more will support Miami's ongoing mission and vision.

As a husband and the father of four children, Greg strongly believes in family and the importance of education for future generations.

"Develop a passion for learning. If you do, you will never cease to grow." – Anthony J D'Angelo

• brainagm@MiamiOH.edu

Bonnie Erwin first discovered learning design as an English professor: she has always loved dreaming up new ways to turn students' most dreaded courses into their most favorite courses. She now enjoys working closely with faculty to translate their passion for their subject matter into innovative, engaging lessons. Her core design philosophy uses Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and diversity, equity, and inclusion principles to create welcoming, transformative learning environments.

Bonnie has 20 years of college teaching experience; before joining Miami University, she was Director of Learning Design & Development at Wilmington College. She holds a Ph.D. in English from Indiana University and has earned an Inclusive Teaching Endorsement from the Ohio College Teaching Consortium. Bonnie completed a master's in instructional design and technology in April 2022. She is a lifelong nerd who has published both on medieval literature and pedagogy: when working with her, be prepared for jokes about knights and dragons. Outside work, she loves to run, ride horses, and spend time with her wife and three cats.

"[T]here is nothing which so instructs a reasonable creature as the exercise and experience of many different things." – Christine de Pizan, from The Book of the City of Ladies (trans. Earl Jeffrey Richards)

• erwinb@MiamiOH.edu

Ben Kitchen oversees student and faculty support initiatives, learning technology, quality assurance, and strategic communications for Miami Online. In his six years at Miami University, he's come to most value building relationships, supporting quality learning experiences, and promoting growth.

Ben is an MBA candidate with a bachelor's degree in media production from the University of Cincinnati (UC), where he completed social media and journalism-focused internships with various organizations, including non-profits, mass media companies, and digital marketing agencies. Ben continued his content marketing experience with freelance work after graduating.

Ben's first role in higher education was as a student associate at UC's LGBTQ Center. His positive experience led him to work at the University of Texas at Austin, where he supported the University Writing Center's daily operations and expansion of graduate student services. Outside his professional life, Ben is an easygoing individual who enjoys quality time—and a good cocktail—with his husband and their brood of dogs.

"The paradox of education is precisely this – that as one begins to become conscious, one begins to examine the society in which he is being educated." — James Baldwin

• kitcheb@MiamiOH.edu

Cynthia (Cyndi) Govreau has worked in higher education for more than 20 years. She earned her master's degree in teaching and learning fully online. Before coming to Miami University, she was the project manager for online learning at a for-profit institution with 28 campuses across the country.

As an instructional designer, Cyndi can help faculty transform courses into engaging and creative learning opportunities. Working with faculty allows her to share her passion for engaged learning and positively impact each student. We all know that no single approach works for every student, every course, and especially not for every faculty. Cyndi finds what works for you in your course and ensures it aligns with the learning objectives.

• govreacl@MiamiOH.edu

Jenny comes to Miami University/Miami Online with a bachelor's degree from Tiffin University in business administration and marketing. She worked in manufacturing and banking before going to graduate school for a master's in education and has taught business and technology courses for 18 years. During this time, Jenny realized how much she enjoyed course development and online learning. Most recently, Jenny completed a Master of Science in Instructional Design and Technology. She has instructional design experience with a private investment company, with the University of Tennessee's office of information technology, and developing coursework for the U.S. Air Force.

Through professional experience and education, Jenny has continually refined her skills and discovered new ways to engage learners. Jenny believes that creating optimal user experiences is especially significant in the learning process for both instructors and students. With targeted course design strategies, proper implementation of learning technologies, and the availability of quality training resources, instructors can focus on course content and student learning. Jenny's approach to designing and developing learning experiences relies heavily on Bloom's Taxonomy classifications with an emphasis on cognitivism, constructivism, and social learning theories.

Jenny is a mom to three wonderful young men: Isaac, Ben, and Evan. She is also mom to her two dogs: Rhett & Rufus. Jenny loves the outdoors, especially biking, hiking, and kayaking. Her hobbies are flower gardening, reading (especially historical fiction), and baking, and she recently joined the Peloton craze.

"Never stop learning because life never stops teaching." — Kirill Korshikov

• culberjl@MiamiOH.edu

Tom holds a master's degree in instructional systems from the University of Central Florida in Orlando. As a learning designer, Tom helps design and develop online courses and works with faculty to integrate technologies into online classes. He is also interested in online learning in global settings. Before joining the Miami Online team in 2009, Tom worked as an instructional technologist at the University of North Carolina Asheville.

Tom enjoys sports, hiking, and watching sci-fi movies outside of work. Sometimes he can also be found walking with his two sons and their dog in Oxford.

"Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire." — William Butler Yeats 

• luojt@MiamiOH.edu

Michael (Mike) is a learning designer with a lifelong passion for learning. He holds a bachelor's degree in visual communications technology and a master's in instructional design. Before coming to Miami, Mike worked as an educator at a non-profit organization devoted to helping people with disabilities build independence and transfer into the working world. This experience helped him find his life goal of building equitable learning experiences for everyone, no matter their learning barriers.

Another one of Mike's many passions is graphic design, which is something he loves to bring to the learning materials he designs. He strongly believes that instructional design and graphic design are all about organizing information in people-friendly ways.

Outside of work, Mike is a proud cat parent to an orange cat named Chalupa. He loves all things nerdy and spends most of his time painting miniatures, cooking, and playing video games.

• strammr@MiamiOH.edu

Rachel Valerio has over 15 years of experience as a producer, director, editor, and videographer. Before joining Miami Online, she was the production manager of The Ohio Channel, a PBS affiliate based at the Ohio Statehouse. She spent several years directing live broadcasts, producing documentary content, and working with the top public officials in the state. 

Rachel earned dual bachelor's degrees from the Ohio State University in film/video production and strategic communication, as well as a graduate certificate in interactive media studies from Miami University. She also completed Miami's miniMBA and the Online Learning Consortium's Instructional Designer Certificate Program. 

As a lifelong learner, Rachel loves collaborating with faculty to harness their passion and share their expertise with students through professional-quality instructional videos. 

When Rachel isn't in the studio or roaming around campus with a camera, she's spending time with her husband, three young children, and mini Goldendoodle in Cincinnati. 

"The camera is an instrument that teaches people how to see without a camera." — Dorothea Lange

• valerirs@MiamiOH.edu

Tony Strader studied web design and interactive media at The Art Institute of Ohio-Cincinnati. His skills quickly evolved to include print design, video production, audio engineering, and digital marketing.

Tony has spent time teaching technology to at-risk youth for a non-profit in the San Francisco Bay area. He has built and managed numerous websites and brands with a strong foundation in design, UI/UX, and accessibility. He was also the digital media coordinator for a park district, creating award-winning wildlife video and photography.

In his free time, you'll catch Tony writing music, practicing judo, photographing wildlife, or exploring nature with his corgi named Ripley.

• stradea@MiamiOH.edu