Heather is the Managing Director of the Imperial College London Institute of Extended Learning. Previously she served as the Dean of Postgraduate and Online Education, the Director of Education Innovation, Director of the Centre for Online Education, and a Professor of Practice in Education at the University of Exeter. Through these roles she is reinventing higher education to give all learners the skills they need to make the world a better place.
Previously, she was the Co-Founder and Co-Executive Director of Learning Futures and Lead Design Architect, Next-Generation Learning at ASU. Learning Futures (LF) imagines and builds the future of learning three-to-five years in the future through a human-centered design Collaboratory, a set of student creative development and production Studios, and a series of community and partner engagements, including hackathons, jams, summits, open houses, and expos.
Heather has also served in leadership roles at UPenn, Northwestern, and Columbia University fostering innovation in learning through the creation of new centers, programs, communities of practice, and learning experiences. She has been featured at conferences and in major publications across the globe for her expertise on learning innovation/futures, immersive learning (AR, VR, XR), digital credentials, skills development, the future of work, giving feedback, learning design, and partnership development. Heather holds a Bachelor of Philosophy from Northwestern University and a Master of Science in Education Entrepreneurship from the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education.