I'm proud to share that Dr. Bevin Rainwater. and I have been individually nominated and made the shortlist for the 2026 Blackboard Catalyst Awards, representing the Office of Academic Technology and Digital Innovation at the University of Hartford, across six categories: Blackboard Adoption & Engagement, Ethical AI Leadership, Innovation in Accessibility, Leading Change, Teaching Excellence, and Training & Professional Development.
The Catalyst Awards are Blackboard's premier recognition program, celebrating individuals and teams from institutions around the world who are pushing the boundaries of teaching, learning, and educational technology. Making the shortlist means our work has been recognized as outstanding on a global stage.
Since 2020, the pace of innovation in teaching and technology has been relentless. New tools, new expectations, new challenges for faculty and students alike. Our job has been to stay on top of that wave and make sure UHart is never behind it.
This fiscal year alone we ran digital accessibility trainings, workshops, and faculty engagement competitions complete with leaderboards in preparation for the Title II Digital Accessibility mandate, supported a major migration and adoption effort that has been a real win for community building in Blackboard Organizations, launched an AI Resource Hub to help faculty navigate an entirely new landscape, and just last week unveiled a brand new Academic Technology website and Resource Hub. We also organized and hosted a faculty retreat where Blackboard's own developers and key personnel came to UHart and spoke directly with our faculty and staff, giving them a direct pipeline to the individuals who literally build the platform.
What started as an idea from Dr. Rainwater grew, with the support of key institutions and our Blackboard Customer Success Manager Dr. Mark Fabbi, into the New England Blackboard User Group, where Dr. Rainwater and I both serve in leadership roles. A Blackboard User Group is a regional community of educators and ed tech professionals who come together to share best practices, collaborate on challenges, and stay connected to the broader Blackboard ecosystem. New England is one of the most concentrated and influential higher education corridors in the world, and having UHart at the table in that conversation is a real privilege. Ensuring our institution has a voice in that space means our faculty and students are better positioned as we continue to ride the wave of digital innovation in academic technology.
At the end of the day, everything we do comes back to one goal: make the experience easier, more empowering, and more equitable for our faculty and students. Honestly, just being nominated means we have already gone the distance. I am so proud and grateful to be part of this team at such a wonderful institution, and thankful for everyone at UHart who has been part of the work that earned us these nominations.
THANK YOU. 🙏