Northwest Network 2009, Our Presenters….

Dr. Jerian Abel provides direction to the distance learning

projects in the Volunteer Leadership Center at NWREL. Her
responsibilities include researching and implementing effective
practices in the design and delivery of distance learning and
support approaches and supporting the development of various
online learning initiatives. Jerian has extensive experience
designing, implementing and facilitating professional development
opportunities in a variety of settings including K-12. Prior to joining
NWREL, she was the program director for a national direct
AmeriCorps program in the Pacific Northwest. Jerian holds a Ph.D.
in curriculum and instruction with an emphasis on technology-
based instructional design.

As Idealist.org's Director of Volunteerism Initiatives, Erin

Barnhart develops and delivers tools, trainings, and resources for
volunteers and volunteer resource managers worldwide in order to
support meaningful, effective engagement. She serves on both the
founding board of the Association of Leaders in Volunteer
Engagement and the Oregon Committee on Volunteerism, co-hosts
the Volunteers and Technology forum on TechSoup.org, and chairs
the National Organizations' Volunteer Network as well as the
Effective Practices Workgroup of the Brookings Institution's
Initiative on International Volunteering and Service. Erin also
coordinates Idealist.org Global Volunteering Fairs and developed
and manages Idealist's online Volunteer Management Resource
Center and International Volunteerism Resource Center.

Kari Chisholm, Kari Chisholm, president of Mandate Media, is an

experienced campaign staffer, media strategist, political
consultant, and interactive web developer. Prior to catching the
Internet bug, Kari Chisholm worked as a political consultant and
campaign manager at the local, state, and federal level. Notably,
he was on the staff of Darlene Hooley’s Congressional campaign in
1996 and managed David Bragdon’s campaign for the Metro
Council in 1998. In addition, Kari was the volunteer board chair of
X-PAC, a 1000-member nonpartisan 501(c)3 that motivated young
people to get involved in politics in Oregon. During his time as the
creative director for new media at Lewis & Clark College, Kari was
a national leader in internet strategy for higher education
marketing communications. Kari graduated from the University of
Southern California in 1995.

Kevin D. Jones focuses on learning using social media. He has

been in the learning industry for over 10 years leading company
wide learning & training initiatives. He earned his bachelor's
degree from the University of Oregon in Business Management
and is nearing completion of his Master’s degree in Instructional
and Performance Technologies from Boise State University. He
runs the "Social Learning Question of the Day" (@slqotd) on
Twitter and co-hosts a weekly podcast. He is the director of the
Social Learning Special Interest Group for the local chapter of the
American Society of Training and Development (ASTD). His blog
and more information can be found at EngagedLearning.net.
 A former AmeriCorps member who served two years in the early
days of the program, Richard Melo now works with Northwest
Lab and supports national service through the development of
learning materials and online distribution. He is also on the team
that coordinates the Northwest National Service Symposium, an
event that draws heavily on reflection activities for AmeriCorps
members. A published novelist, Richard writes fiction and book
reviews in his spare time.

Northwest Network 2009, Our Presenters, Continued….

Angela Nicholas is an instructional designer for the Volunteer
Leadership Center at NWREL. Angela's expertise includes
instructional design, multimedia development, and adult learning.
She is involved in the development of interactive tutorials and
provides leadership and guidance regarding interactivity, graphics,
navigation, course consistency, testing and tracking, and end user
features. She completed her Master's degree in instructional
design and technology in 2006. Prior to NWREL, Angela led a
multimedia development team producing highly interactive e-
learning courseware for the U.S. Army. She also has several years'
experience creating instructional computing projects for
organizations such as Kansas City Public Television.

Amy Potthast is Director of Service & Graduate Education

Programs at Idealist.org. She teaches people about national
service as an entry point to social-impact careers, and about
graduate school options. She blogs at The New Service
(www.idealist.org/thenewservice), the Idealist homepage blog
(www.idealist.org), tweets (http://twitter.com/amypotthast) and
hosts the Idealist Careers Podcast show
(www.idealist.org/podcast). She’s also the author of the
forthcoming book, The Service Corps Companion to the Idealist
Guide to Nonprofit Careers. She’s an alum of Peace Corps,
AmeriCorps, and AmeriCorps*VISTA. You can email her at
amy@idealist.org.

Erich Stiefvater is a program advisor for the Northwest Regional

Educational Laboratory. He develops and delivers face-to-face and
online training for national service programs on the topics of
education, youth development, and member recruitment and
support. He is a former AmeriCorps VISTA member and recruiter
for the Corporation for National and Community Service, with
additional professional experience in training and education
consulting. He has a bachelor’s degree in communication studies
from the University of Portland and a Master’s degree in
educational technology from the Harvard Graduate School of
Education.