Academic Affairs Staff

Leanna has 25+ years of experience in education, in Canada, the UK, as well as here in Texas. While most of her career was spent working in K-12 education as a teacher, instructional technologist, and school administrator, her most recent position prior to joining SPS was National Director for the Office of Refugee Resettlement’s Education Services. Leanna has an Ed.S. in eLearning and Technology Integration in Education, an M.Ed. in Education Administration, and a B.Ed. in Secondary English and French Education. She loves being part of the SPS family and is excited to work with faculty to continue to deliver high quality education to our students.

Director of Academic Affairs

• Scheduling: Work collaboratively with the Dean of SPS to provide a quality educational experience for students by recruiting, hiring, training and supporting highly effective part-time faculty.
• Monitor faculty needs and maintain appropriate staffing levels for all SPS part-time faculty positions across disciplines.
• Assist the Dean in hiring part-time and full-time faculty.
• Provide ongoing instructional, administrative, and technical support and training to faculty on teaching strategies and best practices in online learning.
• Develop strong collaborative relationship with UIW Center for Teaching and Learning and Instructional Technology staff to design and implement a faculty training schedule that is based on identified needs. 
• Collaborate with the Dean on the scheduling of classes and assign faculty to courses for each term.
• Collaborate with the Dean on creating an annual course schedule, reviewing the annual schedule each semester, and updating as necessary.
• Monitor faculty performance through regular review of course audits and course evaluation and alert faculty to areas of needed improvement.
• Evaluate faculty performance data and provide trend analysis and critical insight to the Dean on areas of needed improvement.
• Use faculty performance data to identify ongoing faculty development needs to support annual training schedule.
• Create an annual training calendar for SPS faculty training to include two faculty assemblies per year.  Coordinate SPS faculty assemblies.
• Collaborate with full-time faculty on program learning goals, curriculum objectives, course staffing needs, and best practices for course delivery.
• Coordinate and track faculty participation in Confirmation of Attendance process each term. 
• Assist the Director of Students Services and academic advisors in resolving student concerns by working directly with faculty to address needs.

Manager of Professional and Continuing Education

Contract & Finance Management:

• Oversee general administration, financial management and collaboration with stakeholders for PaCE programs.
• Manage contracts, including preparation, budgeting, invoicing and regular assessments to align with strategic goals.
• Provide budget forecasts, financial reports and meet regularly with the UIW Business Office on payments and invoicing.

Enrollment Management:

• Develop and manage a comprehensive enrollment plan, tracking student enrollments and providing regular reports.
• Monitor student progress and coordinate monthly updates with partner organizations.
• Support enrollment efforts through outreach activities, including calls, emails, events and orientation sessions.

Marketing:

• Oversee the development and execution of PaCE’s annual marketing plan, including digital marketing requests and website updates.
• Develop and organize continuing education programs, schedules and materials while coordinating with local community agencies.
• Plan and execute outreach events, managing logistics and scheduling for new and existing programs.

Compliance:

• Ensure compliance with federal, state and accreditation standards for continuing education programs.
• Develop processes for maintaining records, complete required applications and update program listings as needed.
• Represent PaCE on campus committees addressing administrative processes and program updates.

Jessica Martinez-Palacios has over 20 years’ experience in Adult Education, Online Learning and Instructional Design. She graduated with her Master's degree in Higher Education Leadership and Administration and in E-Learning Technology and Design from Jones International University. She is skilled in Curriculum Development, Course Design, Quality Matters, Quality Assurance Standards, Accessibility, Adult Learning Theories, Educational Technology Programs and Assessment Standards. She is excited to be part of the School of Professional Studies to support Faculty and Students.

Associate Director for Online Teaching and Learning

Academic Development:

• Lead the development, implementation, and assessment of online courses and programs.
• Develop and implement training programs for faculty in effective online teaching strategies.
• Ensure that online courses and programs meet quality assurance standards.

Departmental Support:

• Evaluate and make recommendations regarding new tools and technologies to support and enhance the development and delivery of online and hybrid courses.
• Ensure that faculty and student online support functions are aligned to promote student success.

Professional Development:

• Develop and lead training programs designed with best practices for online learning.
• Promote educational technologies that enhance teaching and learning.

Cari was born and raised in the Rio Grande Valley, McAllen, TX. She graduated from the University of Texas-Pan American with a BA in Psychology. Mrs. Robledo has 9 years’ experience working in higher education. She also holds certifications in leadership, which she obtained from South Texas College. Her knowledge is highlighted in assisting the School of Professional Studies - Academic Affairs, with tasks to focus on the success of students and faculty.

Academic Affairs Support Specialist

• Assist the Director of Academic Affairs with projects related to faculty support, Canvas, Banner, course scheduling and faculty orientations.
• Maintains booklists and spreadsheets to order books and facilitate eBook processes.
• Assists students and faculty with books and syllabi information.
• Manages and prioritizes multiple tasks within scheduled terms.
• Creates and maintains course schedules in Banner.