We invite you to join us as a Friends of Apereo Member: individuals with a passion for advancing open source–and openness generally–in higher education.
TL;DR: Calling all open source advocates serving education: Apereo needs your financial support, but, just as importantly, we need your insights, ideas, and inspiration too! Join today!
Whether you’re involved in an open source software project, supporting faculty in developing open educational resources, guiding researchers in open science, or advising campus leadership in "open" practices, your membership will be instrumental in shaping the future of education and the success of Apereo and our projects.
While Friends of Apereo provides critical dollars to support the Foundation and its projects, membership is more than a funding campaign, Friends of Apereo is a conduit for collaboration where projects, programs, and people exchange ideas, address issues, and find inspiration. Your interests and ideas will help inform peers, shared communities of practice, and institutions of higher education as they discover and discuss emerging trends impacting open source, edtech, and academia: open AI, digital transformation, cybersecurity, and open source sustainability, to name a few.
Apereo's work has touched countless learners, teachers, and researchers worldwide, helping extend access to learning opportunities, promote equity across student populations, and foster communities of openness. Please help us sustain and extend all this by becoming a Friend of Apereo today.
10 Reasons to Join "Friends of Apereo"
There are so many examples in the uPortal and Apereo community of individuals from small schools getting engaged with a project and expanding their skills as they work closely with more seasoned professionals. In turn, they then become the mentors for the next generation. Quite often, this has led them to new career opportunities at other organizations that would never have opened up if they hadn’t first been engaged with open source. - Jim Helwig.
1. Collaborate With Ambassadors
Apereo is fortunate to include some of higher education and open source’s most experienced leaders and innovators as Board Alumni and project contributors. Ambassadors have come together to support both the Friends of Apereo program and its membership offering you an opportunity to meet and engage with professionals from around the world who together have decades of experience in promoting and implementing open initiatives.
2. Fund the Future
Your support as a Friends of Apereo member advances the Foundation’s strategic initiatives enriching the edtech open source community and increasing awareness and adoption throughout higher education –the core of Apereo’s purpose.
3. Build Your Network
The Apereo Foundation enjoys partnerships and affiliate memberships with peer organizations around the world. Your Friends of Apereo membership provides you access to these organizations and communities including, EDUCAUSE, JoinUp and more…
4. Apereo Profile
Apereo members are provided an @apereo.org email address, This address opens your access to partner and affiliate organizations, Friends of Apereo special events and resources, member-only collaboration opportunities, and dedicated channels, e.g., LinkedIn Groups and Slack.
5. Professional Development
Friends of Apereo have access to live monthly webinars to stay abreast of the latest news and insights from industry leaders. Dedicated communications channels (Slack, LinkedIn, mailing lists) offer direct access to Apereo Ambassadors.
6. Vote in Apereo Board Elections
The Apereo Board of Directors includes three board seats representing individual members–Friends of Apereo. Your vote will help shape the Apereo Board and thus the development and advancement of open source software in and for academic and research institutions globally. Friends of Apereo are also highly encouraged to run for open Individual Member Board seats.
7. Advocate for FOSS
Open source needs voices and Friends of Apereo provide a forum and format to capture and amplify the interests and advocacy of professionals dedicated to serving higher education and advancing the values of openness in education and technology.
8. Grow Your Community
The Friends of Apereo membership is a “Who’s Who” of open source advocates, edtech experts, and higher-ed insiders. Find peers and colleagues to help shape or refine your initiatives while sharing your own insights to help others.
9. Connection and Engagement
Friends of Friends of Apereo gives you a group of experienced, like-minded people to bounce ideas off of, ask questions, and engage in conversations about your favorite FOSS topic. Join FOA Birds of a Feather at one of the annual conferences where the community comes together.
10. Share your Expertise
Apereo works with organizations and institutions around the globe on a variety of issues and initiatives. Friends of Apereo members are called to serve as volunteers, champions, representatives, advancing our mission to increase the development and adoption of open source in higher education.
Lead Photo Caption: Carlos Turro Ribalta, Shoji Kajita, Josh Wilson, Anne-Marie Scott and Clint Lalonde
Join Friends of Apereo! Unlock exclusive benefits and support the Apereo community by becoming a Friend of Apereo today! Join now for just $100 and gain access to a vibrant network of like-minded individuals passionate about open technology in education. 'Join today' to start making a difference.
Apereo Ambassadors
Apereo Ambassadors share a deep understanding of open source principles and a passion for advancing higher education, to serve as mentors and advocates in relaunching and revitalizing our Friends of Apereo program. As mentors and advocates, Ambassadors support the Friends of Apereo community, offering advice and experience to faculty developing open educational resources, researchers engaged in open science, campus leaders implementing "open" practices, and of course, anyone creating open source software. Ambassadors lend an ear, share their thoughts, and inspire your success.
Dr. Lucy Appert, Director of the Department of Teaching Excellence and Innovation at NYU
Dr. Lucy has served the Apereo community in many capacities over the last 13 years, holding the positions of Apereo Foundation Vice-Chair, User Reference Group coordinator for the Apereo OAE project, member of the planning committees for Open Apereo conferences, and Apereo Newsletter Editor.
In her current post as Director of the Department of Teaching Excellence and Innovation at NYU, Dr. Lucy provides leadership and planning for the Office’s innovative and purposeful use of technology for teaching and learning, drawing on her unique experience as both a faculty member and administrator to build inter- and intra-institutional collaborations. She’s an advocate for student-centered practices and increasing professional recognition and reward for excellence in teaching. Her areas of special interest include digital literacy, digital humanities, and project-based learning.
Prior to becoming the director at NYU's FA&S department, Dr. Lucy served as Associate Director for Instructional Design at Columbia University’s Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) where she led the CTL’s innovative project partnerships with faculty. Previously, she served as the Director of Educational Technology for NYU’s Liberal Studies Program, where she led the team providing instructional technology solutions for faculty and students in New York and at NYU’s Global Sites. She was also a faculty member in the program and has more than 20 years of teaching experience, having also taught at Tulane, Vanderbilt, and Yale.
Dr. Lucy holds a Ph.D. in 17th & 18th c. British literature from Tulane University and a B.A. in Classics and English from UNC-Chapel Hill.
Topics of interest: Teaching and Learning, Innovation, Incubation, Digital Transformation
Theresa Rowe, Treasurer of the Apereo Foundation
Theresa is an experienced Chief Information Officer and consultant. She is also an independent strategic IT consultant and leadership coach. She is especially interested in strategic IT planning, leadership professional development, and the building of a successful and strategic IT organization.
She received the Educause Community Leadership Award in 2014 and served as the coordinator for the Educause CIO Constituent Group from 2006 to 2015. She previously served on the board of Merit Network and on the REN-ISAC Steering Committee. Theresa was named a Top 30 Technologists, Transformers, & Trailblazers by the Center for Digital Education in 2015. She was named a 2017 Premier 100 Technology Leader by Computerworld. Leadership experience includes creating evergreen strategic plans, leading successful governance models, developing and executing network plans, upgrading data-center facilities, implementing ERP systems, and implementing open-source solutions.
Prior to becoming a consultant in 2019, Theresa spent 28 years at Oakland University. She served as Chief Information Officer for 17 years of her tenure at Oakland. Her responsibilities included policy development, governance, sourcing direction and oversight of the systems, network and technical architecture, and organizational professional development. Rowe was also an Adjunct Associate Professor in the School of Engineering and Computer Science, where she taught courses related to project management, professionalism, and professional ethics.
Rowe served on the Apereo Board of Directors from 2013 - 2018 and as Board Chair from 2014-2015.
Theresa earned her A.B. degree in Economics from the University of Michigan - Dearborn and her M.P.A. from Oakland University.
Topics of Interest: Funding and Finance, Governance, Open Source Policy
Steve Swinsburg, Technical Director at Orion Health
Steve is a seasoned software engineering professional with over two decades of experience in software design, development, and technical leadership. He has demonstrated expertise in leading high-performing R&D teams to deliver innovative solutions that drive organisational success.
As a founding member of the Apereo Foundation Board of Directors and previously serving on the Sakai Foundation Board of Directors, Steve has a proven long-standing commitment to advancing educational technology.
From 2014 to 2022, Steve served as the Vice-Chair of the Sakai Project Management Committee, a role that underscored his leadership and dedication to the Sakai community. His significant contributions were recognized in 2009 when he was awarded a Sakai Foundation Fellowship.
Steve’s technical contributions span the entire Sakai codebase, as well as uPortal and CAS. He is best known for developing Profile2, the social networking tool for Sakai, GradebookNG, an entirely new gradebook now integral to the Sakai LMS.
His work has impacted universities and organisations worldwide, including the Australian National University, New York University, Oxford University, Stanford University, Longsight, and Blackboard.
Steve holds a Master’s degree in Information Technology and a Bachelor of Science from the University of New England, Australia. He is also a certified Professional Scrum Master.
Topics of interest: Engineering Leadership, Software Architecture and Design, Systems Integration
Join Friends of Apereo and propel open source for higher ed into the future. Do you have any questions or want to know more? Contact our membership team: membership@apereo.org