Meet Lené Whitley-Putz, New Dean of Instructional Technology
Congratulations to Lené Whitley-Putz, Foothill College's Dean of Instructional Technology, Online Learning.
Lené has been a contributing member of the Foothill College community in many capacities since 2008, early on as a communications faculty member, and then with the California Virtual Campus-Online Education Initiative (CVC-OEI) as the Faculty Professional Development Coordinator for Instructional Development. In her role with the CVC-OEI, she provided training and professional development to support the effective use of digital tools and platforms for the 114 California Community Colleges. Her work with @ONE, the professional development division of CVC-OEI, contributed to @ONE becoming a nationally recognized leader in online teaching and learning.
Before her work with @ONE, Lené taught writing and communication courses for colleges throughout Northern California, including Foothill, Cañada, CSU Monterey Bay, and UC Santa Cruz, where her interest in the intersection of writing skills and media led her to develop UCSC's first online writing course, "Writing Disney," an introduction to composition through the lens of race, class, and gender in the Disney corporation.
Lené earned her Ph.D. in Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute for her dissertation titled, Calorie Counter Publics: Rhetoric in Fat Activist Practice, and holds a BA and MA in English Language and Literature from California State University at Chico.
Lené is passionate about students and public education in California. She believes in pushing the envelope of technology to aid students and faculty in creating positive collaborations that help students achieve their academic goals.
When Lené isn't working on instructional technology or speaking at conferences, she can be found sewing and costuming for local high school musicals and the Half Moon Bay Coastal Repertory Theatre.