D2L Rise Round Table – Chicago

Dr. Kiana N. Pendleton demonstrates a daily passion and enthusiasm for education that she credits her late grandparents, who were all former educators, for instilling in her at a young age.  Throughout her career, Dr. Pendleton has proudly served as a tutor, classroom teacher, reading interventionist, MTSS coordinator, and district reading specialist; all of which she excelled in, as evidenced by student achievement data.  Currently, Dr. Pendleton is the instructional leader (principal) of Laurel Magnet School of the Arts in Laurel, MS where she continues to thrive in her calling.  After her first year as principal, her school earned an A rating; this was the first A that both the school and district had achieved since the establishment of the A-F letter grading system.  She identifies several reasons for this accomplishment, but at the top of the list are building teacher capacity, creating a transparent data-driven culture, communicating the vision and goals to all stakeholders, and above all, having a sincere love for children.      

Dr. Kathleen Grigsby is the Elementary Assistant Superintendent for Jackson County Public School District. As a former teacher, coach and principal, she has over twenty years of experience in education. In her current role as assistant superintendent, she leads fifteen schools with a clear focus on student achievement. Throughout the course of her career, she has transformed school communities to increase overall student support and drive student success. Dr. Grigsby’s academic credentials include a doctorate and specialist from Mississippi College in Educational Leadership, a Master of Education in Curriculum and Instruction and a Bachelor of Education in Elementary Education from The University of Mississippi (Ole Miss). Her personal philosophy of education and teaching, her community involvement, along with her contributions and accomplishments have changed the lives of many students and educators.

Dr. Cristi Ford serves as the Vice President of Academic Affairs at D2L. She brings more than 20 years of cumulative experience in higher education, secondary education, project management, program evaluation, training and student services to her role. In this role, she offers thought leadership and direction to the academic affairs unit of the organization. Her previous roles have allowed her to have impact in education from secondary and higher education settings within North America and as part of the international landscape. Her reach has allowed her to focus on building online education in the US and in Africa. 

In addition to her experience building new online learning programs and research related to online teaching and learning, Dr. Ford possesses significant experience in the design and delivery of integrated educational support, training and transition services for young adults and children with neurodevelopment disabilities. 

Dr. Ford was selected by the Online Learning Consortium as the 2022 OLC Fellow (the highest professional distinction offered by the association). She is a tireless advocate for quality online education and has leveraged her passion and expertise in many realms in the education space. She is known for utilizing her leadership in extraordinary ways to help institutions build capacity to launch and expand online programming through effective faculty development, instructional design and pedagogical practices. 

Dr. Ford holds a PhD in Educational Leadership from the University of Missouri-Columbia and undergraduate and graduate degrees in the field of Psychology from Hampton University and University of Baltimore, respectively. 

Dr. Brittany Singleton is the Academic Affairs Manager at D2L. In this role she provides strategic leadership, guidance and support for the development of innovative programs in the teaching and learning realm in both the K-12 and Higher Ed verticals. Dr. Singleton is an effective and resourceful education professional with over 14 years of experience in holistic student development, instruction, mentorship, and programming for diverse student populations. She also has extensive leadership skills evidenced by complex critical reasoning, collaborative strategic planning, and effective community engagement. Dr. Singleton also has a plethora of experience in curriculum planning, education administration, inclusive teaching, clinical supervision, conflict resolution, presentation facilitation, and higher education. She has served in several roles in the realm of online learning while working within graduate teacher education programs that focus on teacher preparation. She also has done extensive research on the implementation of effective instructional strategies to increase student achievement, and teacher preparation in teaching diverse student populations. Dr. Singleton received her degree in English from Tougaloo College and her Doctorate of Education in Educational Leadership and Administration Pre K-12 from Tennessee State University. Dr. Singleton also holds a certificate in Women’s Entrepreneurship from Cornell University.