Elaine is an innovative designer passionate about cultivating an environment for learning. She received her BFA in Graphic Design from Rochester Institute of Technology, an MA in Educational Technologies from George Washington University, and her Ph.D. in Learning Technologies from the University of North Texas. Elaine has held positions in private industry as well as education and served as a tenured faculty member for fifteen years where she taught a variety of classes in the Computer Graphics department. She also served as Coordinator of the Department and created several new courses and programs during that time. She has made presentations at a number of conferences and published in several journals. Elaine is flexible and resourceful and enjoys learning as well as teaching. She is an artist at heart and enjoys creating visual pieces using the full spectrum of media.

Tim Luckritz Marquis loves working with faculty and departments to create online spaces in which communities can interact across disciplines, vocational goals, and backgrounds. As a designer, he focuses on how learning materials and experiences become the contours of the learning environment. Tim comes from a background as a tenured faculty member with experience teaching undergraduate and graduate students, as well as collaborating with colleagues on course and curricular planning. His academic interests gravitate toward interdisciplinary humanities, critical theory, and intercultural engagement. He has a Ph.D. in Religious Studies from Yale University and has written a book and various articles and essays on ancient history, itinerancy and mobility, ethnicity, and sexuality. A New England kid at heart, Tim is devoted to Richmond. Between household projects and community events, he and his partner chase their two kids around the city.

Cynthia Agyeman is an Instructional Designer who is dedicated to helping educators advance their teaching strategies and developing online courses. Cynthia is a big advocate of adopting best practices that take into account the diverse and unique learning needs of students. Prior to joining the Alt Lab, Cynthia worked with the Ohio Society of CPAs to design and build courses for CPAs and accounting professionals in public, private and not-for-profit organizations. Cynthia has worked in education as a teacher, facilitator and instructional designer. Cynthia holds a Ph.D. degree in Instructional Technology and a M.A in African Studies from the Ohio University. She has a BFA degree in Painting from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in Ghana, West Africa. Her research centers on visual arts and new digital media with a special focus on the integration of emergent technologies and the aesthetic and design elements and principles to create new art forms.

Peyton Burgess has designed online courses for a variety of disciplines and has taught online and face-to-face for more than five years. Peyton also designs and teaches development courses for faculty that teach online, ushering more than 100 faculty members through certificate courses thus far. He takes a student-centered approach to course design, stressing the importance of the learner experience, while also exposing faculty to effective and efficient course design and management practices. At ALT Lab, Peyton's primary focus is serving as instructor for the faculty development certificate courses Going VCU Online Level I and II. As a writer with an MFA from New York University, Peyton writes fiction and teaches composition and creative writing courses both online and face-to-face, including fiction workshops for VCU's English Department and for the publisher Catapult. His short story collection, The Fry Pans Aren't Sufficing, was published in 2016 and described by Publishers Weekly as "sometimes shocking...a fine debut from a striking new voice."

Carrie Cole is an Instructional Designer who serves faculty across disciplines in developing and promoting high-quality online educational experiences. After earning her undergraduate degree in Business Administration from Bridgewater College, she served both corporate and non-profit organizations developing training and leadership experiences for professional adult learners. Upon earning her M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Virginia, she served faculty there in translating face-to-face courses into hybrid and online formats. Working with P-12 schools during the pandemic deepened her understanding of student needs. Carrie’s research interests focus on place-based experiential learning in online programs. A native Virginian since the Jamestowne Colony, Carrie enjoys visiting historic sites and cheering on her husband and children in their pursuits.

Andrew Hahn has built and edited courses across various fields of study. In design he takes a streamlined approach with easy-to-use technology elements in order to keep the learners focused on their materials. Prior to joining VCU Online, Andrew worked at Liberty University Online as a Course Editor and at Wayne State University School of Medicine in Detroit as an Instructional Designer. He received his MFA from Vermont College of Fine Arts and is the author of the poetry chapbook, God’s Boy (Sibling Rivalry Press, 2019), which poet Randall Mann called a “raw, fearless debut.” In the fall of 2019, Andrew was invited to be the writer-in-residence at Randolph College in Lynchburg, Virginia. In his spare time, he enjoys reading, writing, and playing the piano.

Cairo Jones is an instructional designer who is passionate about helping educators bring creativity to their online courses. While implementing best practices into the course design, Cairo strives to support faculty as they develop their teaching strategies while also creating unique learning communities. Prior to joining the Alt Lab, Cairo worked with VCU’s Online MBA program to develop courses and assist professors with the design and delivery of course material. Cairo received his BA in History from Virginia State University and loves learning about Virginia’s rich past. Outside of work, Cairo loves to discover new restaurants, spend time with family and go on new adventures with his four-legged pal, Murphy.

Aisha McGriff is passionate about working with faculty to turn their visions for their online classes into a reality. A North Carolina native, she holds a BA in psychology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, a MA in Sociology from North Carolina Central University, and a MA and a PhD in American Culture Studies from Bowling Green State University. Aisha began her academic career in Chattanooga, TN where she was a professor of Sociology and Women’s Studies before becoming an instructional designer. Prior to joining the ALT Lab, Aisha developed and taught face to face, hybrid, and online courses for Chattanooga State Community College, the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, and TN eCampus. Her research areas of interest include how to make instructional technologies more accessible, pedagogical techniques to engage diverse student populations, and how to reduce unintentional bias in the classroom. When not geeking out about instructional design, education, and the future of academia, Aisha can be found wandering around in nature, knitting socks, or daydreaming about new ways to play with fiber and textiles.

Rebecca Stooks is a Richmond native and, prior to joining ALT Lab, she taught English at a high school in Henrico County for 10 years. In that time, she taught a variety of different courses, but she is most proud of her involvement in helping to lay the groundwork for her school's dual enrollment program with a local community college. Her years as a public educator have made her a pro when it comes to practical teaching techniques, creative approaches to delivering content, and differentiating instruction to cater to all learning styles. Rebecca obtained both her bachelor's and master's in English from Longwood University, with focuses in education and writing. When she isn't working or trying to keep up with her active toddler, Rebecca loves writing speculative fiction (that's fancy talk for sci-fi and fantasy); she has even published a few short stories and she fancies the idea of one day publishing a novel.

Deverick Strand is an Instructional Designer committed to enhancing the online student experience through the implementation of best practices and considerations of accessibility. Prior to joining VCU Online Deverick worked in K12 teaching and professional development where he focused on technology integration and engaging instructional pedagogy to meet the needs of all learners. He looks forward to adding those experiences mixed with his love of educational technologies to reach even more students. When he’s not designing quality online instruction, Deverick enjoys pursing his new found love of running and acting like a tourist in the city he’s lived in for 20 years.

Ginny Thompson enjoys supporting faculty with the creation of engaging digital learning environments. Prior to joining to Virginia Commonwealth University, she was an instructional designer for six years at St. Vincent’s College in Bridgeport, Connecticut, helping to launch several online programs, including an RN-BSN program. Ginny has experience evaluating the quality of online courses, holding a Quality Matters Peer Reviewer certification. She taught Educational Technology at Notre Dame of Maryland University in Baltimore, Maryland for five years and has a masters degree in Education from the University of Michigan. A recent transplant to RVA, she enjoys hitting the Buttermilk Trail, riding her bike in the Fan and learning more about street photography.

Sydney Wilk is an Instructional Designer who enjoys working with faculty and staff to enhance the online learning experience. She strives to build a strong sense of classroom community online for students through engaging activities and resources within each course. Sydney received her MS in Curriculum Development and Instructional Technology from the University at Albany as well as two BA’s in Communications and English. Prior to working at VCU Online, Sydney was an Instructional Designer within the SUNY college system in Upstate New York. When she is not focusing on instructional design or teaching online, Sydney enjoys spending time with her family and two basset hounds, Hank and Maeve. She also loves camping in the Adirondacks during the summer and enjoying some paddle boarding time.