About Us

Staff

Chelsea-Headshot-2022

Dr. Chelsea Chandler, Ph.D.

Safe Zone training badge

Dr. Chelsea Chandler, Ph.D. serves as the Director of the Center for Faculty Excellence (CFE). Chelsea is an experienced educator who is passionate about justice, equity, and inclusion at the intersections of teaching, learning, and curriculum design. Chelsea has taught in a variety of settings including K-12, higher education, and informal education programs. 

Prior to joining the CFE, Chelsea held multiple positions in higher education. Her higher education teaching experience began with her appointment as an Assistant Professor of Curriculum and Instruction at Concordia University Chicago. She co-led the Curriculum and Instruction program and taught graduate teacher education courses on topics such as curriculum theory and design, culturally sustaining and responsive pedagogy, foundations of education, and teacher action research. Her experiences designing courses for different modalities at Concordia University led her to pursue career opportunities in the field of Learning Experience Design (LXD).

As a Learning Experience Designer, Chelsea focused on assisting University of Michigan faculty in the design of open, online courses and led her team in faculty development focused on inclusive course design and pedagogy. During her time at U-M, Chelsea also team taught a year-long Learning Experience Design lab course and mentored students during their residency with the Center for Academic Innovation.

Chelsea’s research interests include inclusive pedagogy and course design, curriculum development, and teaching and learning in online, hybrid, and face-to-face environments. She regularly presents her research at national conferences, publishes in academic journals, and is a member of the National Center for Institutional Diversity's Diversity Scholars Network at the University of Michigan.

Dr. Chandler holds a Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Toledo, as well as a Master of Education in Teaching and Learning from BGSU. 

HollyBarber

Holly Barber

Safe Zone training badge

Holly Barber serves as an Instructional Designer at the Center for Faculty Excellence (CFE). She has a Bachelor's degree in Communication, specializing in video production from Ohio University in Athens, Ohio.

At the CFE, Holly facilitates workshops and collaborates one-on-one with instructors to help develop their courses in the Canvas LMS. She consults with instructors on topics such as Universal Design for Learning (UDL), inclusive pedagogy, and active learning to enhance course design. Holly's passion for video production, creating engaging micro-learning videos, and video editing skills are evident in her work, and she played a key role in developing an instructor recording studio at BGSU.

Before joining BGSU, Holly worked at Owens Community College for 13 years, first as an Audio-Visual Technician for 10 years and then as an Instructional Designer for 3 years. She is an expert using the Canvas LMS and is dedicated to discovering innovative ways to utilize educational technologies in course design.

Outside of her professional work, Holly enjoys traveling, trivia, and spending time with her labrador retriever, Sadie.

Headshot of Anna Rood

Anna Rood

As an instructional designer for the CFE, Anna Rood collaborates with faculty and instructors to foster best practices associated with course design and pedagogy. Anna has previously held similar positions with Tiffin University and Lourdes University before returning to her alma mater, here at BGSU. At Lourdes University, she became a Canvas Certified Educator, and presented nationally on using Canvas tools to increase pass rates of post-graduation licensure assessments. Before her experience in higher education, Anna was an intervention specialist focusing on reading curriculum and inclusive strategies. She holds an undergraduate degree in education and a graduate degree in higher education and adult learning. She is passionate about differentiation and engagement in student learning and is committed to the idea of supporting learners to drive their own education. Dedicated to assisting faculty in achieving their teaching goals, Anna leverages a deep understanding of educational needs to create impactful, efficient, and engaging learning experiences.

Sally Thelen pic

Sally Thelen

Safe Zone training badge

As the CFE Program Coordinator, Sally Thelen coordinates faculty development initiatives and CFE events and collaborates with CFE team members on program development and evaluation. Sally has extensive classroom experience, having taught English as a Second Language (ESL) in higher education settings, adult learning environments, and K-12 schools in the United States and internationally for almost twenty years. In addition to her classroom experience, Sally has served as an Assessment Specialist at University of Michigan's Michigan Language Assessment (MLA) and at Lourdes University. At Lourdes, she led institutional accreditation efforts, coordinated academic and cocurricular assessment activities, and supported faculty and staff in assessment development. Sally is committed to fostering an inclusive classroom experience for all learners and supporting faculty in the implementation of equitable instructional and assessment practices. Sally has a Master’s in Education in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) from SUNY University at Buffalo and a Master’s in Arts in Educational and Instructional Technology from Western Michigan University.

Miles Wronkovich headshot

Miles Wronkovich

Miles Wronkovich is an instructional designer at the CFE whose current focus is working with the Math Emporium, enhancing and enriching their goal to make math more accessible for students incoming to BGSU. Before joining the Center, he taught high school education focusing on mathematics, engineering, and physical sciences, where he holds bachelor's in chemistry from Amherst College and a master’s in chemistry from University of Virginia, focusing on catalysis on metallic surfaces. Through his own educational journey being on both sides of the student-instructor working relationship, he is passionate about making abstract and complex STEM concepts more approachable and available to students, creating educational experiences where students can construct their own understandings, and collaborating with instructors who strive for this for their own courses.

Outside of their professional life, Miles enjoys hiking through national parks, watching Premier League football, and creating languages from scratch.

Graduate Students

john-1

John Acquaful

John Acquaful is a Bowling Green State University's School of Media and Communication doctoral student. He is passionate about media, politics, and social justice, and his scholarly interest is investigating how new digital platforms are reshaping public discourse and anti-blackness. 

John earned his Master's in Public Administration at BGSU, where he honed his skills in organizational leadership, policy analysis, and community engagement. He also holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and Russian from the University of Ghana. 

Before joining the Center for Faculty Excellence (CFE), John was an instructor for COMM 1020: Introduction to Public Speaking in the Fall of 2024, where he empowered students to develop practical communication skills critical for academic and professional success. His teaching approach fosters inclusivity and encourages students to explore how communication influences societal change.  

John's professional experience extends beyond academia. While pursuing his Master's, he engaged in community-focused projects, including partnerships with the City of Tampa and the Toledo Zoo, where he helped develop practical solutions to address various problems.  

John is primarily concerned with understanding Afro-Pessimism as a critical framework that probes into the maturation of antiblackness and its intersection with social media activism. He is particularly fascinated by how identity politics play out on digital platforms, encoding voter behavior, public policy debates, and activism. Through his research, John aims to contribute to understanding the digital landscape as a tool for empowerment and marginalization within the Black community.  

At CFE, John will leverage his expertise to support a wide range of initiatives, including resource development and management, moderating online and face-to-face workshops and sessions, and assisting faculty with integrating innovative teaching methodologies.  

Outside of his academic and professional endeavors, John advocates for mentorship and actively engages in programs that promote leadership development among underrepresented groups. 

debipreeta-rahut

Debipreeta Rahut

  • Position: Professional Development Graduate Assistant
  • Pronouns: she/her
  • Email: drahut@bgsu.edu

Debipreeta Rahut (she/her) is a final-year doctoral candidate and Graduate Teaching Associate in the School of Media and Communication, Bowling Green State University (BGSU). Originally from Kolkata, India, she brings prior work experience as a journalist and as an Assistant Professor. At BGSU, Debipreeta has taught courses such as Introduction to Public Speaking, Persuasive Communication, Interpersonal Communication, and Communication Theory. She also has worked on an NSF Grant (Award No. 1760389) with the BGSU ALLIES team as an Online Learning Designer and Research Assistant in the summers of 2022 and 2023 respectively, assisting with designing and developing online training modules on allyship and inclusive leadership with a focus on gender equity.

Debipreeta’s research interests include Gender & Technology, Media & Communication, Feminist Studies, Digital Culture, and Gender & Migration. She is currently the Vice-Chair of the Feminist and Gender Studies Division of the National Communication Association and is the 2025 Convention Program Planner for this Division. Her teaching philosophy, grounded in feminist pedagogy, encourages open dialogue and critical discussion, aiming to decenter power dynamics and create a collaborative learning environment. 

At BGSU, Debipreeta leads the Graduate Student Instructor Learning Community in collaboration with BGSU’s Center for Faculty Excellence (CFE). This learning community provides graduate students a space to discuss professional development and navigating their dual roles as students and employees. With a passion for inclusive and intercultural pedagogy, she has designed intercultural competency modules to enhance effective teaching and learning for the campus-wide asynchronous Canvas training course, “Teaching as a Graduate Student.” Debipreeta is the recipient of Ohio Communication Association’s Distinguished Graduate Teaching Assistant Award in 2024 and Central States Communication Association’s prestigious Cooper Award in 2025 in recognition of excellent teaching by a graduate student. 

allyson-ritchey

Allyson Ritchey

  • Position: Marketing and Events Graduate Assistant
  • Pronouns: she/her
  • Email: amritch@bgsu.edu

Allyson Ritchey is the CFE’s Marketing and Events Graduate Assistant and is currently pursuing her master’s degree in Media and Communication at Bowling Green State University’s School of Media and Communication. She graduated from Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania in May 2024, earning dual degrees in Sociology and Communications, Journalism and Media with a focus on Public Relations. She also holds a minor in Women’s and Gender Studies and a certificate in Ethnic Studies. Before joining the CFE team, Allyson gained valuable experience through internships with the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, including the Department of Agriculture, the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, and the Office of Governor Josh Shapiro. In these roles, she contributed to social media campaigns, event photography, press releases, and blogging. Allyson’s diverse background and hands-on experience in communications and public relations bring a unique perspective to her role at the CFE. Outside of her professional life, Allyson enjoys being outdoors, shooting photos, and reading.

Updated: 01/21/2025 01:04PM