The Teaching and Learning Center Staff

Salley B. Sawyer, Ph.D.
Interim Director
702-895-2260
E-mail Dr. Sawyer

Salley Sawyer’s diverse background includes managing the distance learning programs at Central Michigan University and West Texas A&M University, holding a tenure track faculty position at Northern State University in South Dakota, and producing public affairs programming at Connecticut Public Radio. At Northern State University, Salley was part of a faculty team that developed the curriculum for a graduate program in eLearning. One of Salley’s favorite classes to teach was Case Studies in Instructional Design in which she asked students to write their own cases. “I really liked the way that process seemed to mesh the students’ everyday lives with the instructional design concepts they needed to develop,” she explains.

Having completed her Ph.D. in Instructional Technology at the University of Georgia, Salley has made presentations on topics related to technology usage in faculty members’ teaching practices at the annual conferences of the Association of Educational Communications and Technology, the Texas Distance Learning Association, the American Educational Research Association and the Society for Information Technology and Teacher Education. Salley co-authored a paper entitled Defining a Simple Sequence for RLO’s published in the 2004 Learning Technology newsletter. In her current work with the UNLV Teaching and Learning Center, Salley says, “I’m striving to create workshops in which people discover that they can be creative when using technology-based teaching tools and can find strategies that will help engage students in their own learning process.”

Keoni Everington
E-Learning Coordinator
702-895-5954
E-mail Keoni

Prior to joining the TLC, Keoni Everington had served for four years as the Distance Learning Coordinator and WebCT Administrator in the Department of Distance Learning at Winthrop University in South Carolina. Mr. Everington has recently completed the Distance Education Certificate program at the University of West Georgia. Prior to his work in Distance Education, he worked in the following capacities: a Technology Specialist training faculty at Winthrop University in educational technology, a marketing manager for an Internet company in Sunnyvale, California, and an English teacher at two universities in Beijing, China. He has an MBA from the University of Hawaii at Manoa, a BA Degree in International Studies from Miami University of Ohio, and a Webmaster Certificate from York Technical College. He recently lead a group of Winthrop university students on a study abroad course to Beijing, China.

Debbie Porrello
Office Manager
702-895-2293
E-mail Debbie

Debbie Porrello, a long time resident of Las Vegas, has been the Teaching and Learning Center office manager since its inception in 1999. She manages the work flow for the TLC office and supervises production of TLC workshop materials. Debbie’s many responsibilities include managing the TLC’s database, handling workshop registrations, allocating expenses, and formatting the UNLV Creative College Teaching Journal for printing.

 

Michael Wilder
Learning Technologies Specialist / Web Developer
702-895-2258
Online Resources
E-mail Michael

Destiny has led Michael on a dual career path of both education and technology.  The result is a hybrid individual with skills and perspective from both fields. He worked as teacher and trainer in a variety of environments, serving, among other positions, as Blackboard administrator, Online Learning Specialist, and college faculty (web design, web-based multimedia, networking, programming, desktop publishing, essential computer applications, and much more). Michael specializes in web-based education and the educational use of open-source technology. He has presented at major conferences, and has consulted to schools districts and colleges. Michael received his B.A. in English from UCLA, and received his master's degree in Educational Leadership, with emphasis on computer-based education, from Gonzaga University.

Dr. Leora Baron

Leora Baron had a deep passion for the UNLV Teaching and Learning Center. Her vision brought vibrancy to the TLC which extended the Center’s reach throughout the UNLV community and beyond. We who worked with Leora are grateful to have had an opportunity to interact with her and to observe her creativity in action. As a person with remarkable insight and experience, every interaction with Leora was meaningful. We think of her with gratitude and admiration.