Apereo Foundation Welcomes Dr. Wilma Hodges as Community Coordinator

The Apereo Foundation is delighted to announce that Dr. Wilma Hodges has joined the Foundation staff in the newly created role of Apereo Community Coordinator.

For many across the Apereo community, Dr. Hodges is already a familiar and deeply respected presence. Over the years, she has contributed to the Foundation in numerous leadership and volunteer roles, including service on the Apereo Board of Directors, leadership within the Sakai Project community, and, most recently, as a co-founder of the new tool sharing incubation initiative. Her long-standing commitment to open source collaboration in higher education, combined with her ability to connect people and communities, made her an ideal choice for the role of Apereo Community Coordinator.

In her newest role at Apereo, Dr. Hodges will focus on strengthening relationships with Apereo’s Institutional Members and expanding the Foundation’s growing Community Membership program. She will also take a leading role in advancing the work of the Open Renaissance Group (ORG), building on the momentum generated by the Foundation’s “Open Letter to Higher Education” campaign and helping further conversations around openness, sustainability, and digital autonomy in higher education.

In addition, Dr. Hodges will guide the onboarding and support of new Communities of Interest within the Apereo ecosystem, helping emerging groups find the connections, structure, and support they need to thrive.

“Wilma has been at the heart of this community for many years,” said Patrick Masson, Executive Director of the Apereo Foundation. “Wilma’s extensive experience across open source communities, deep understanding of higher education, and long history of leadership within Apereo make her exceptionally well-suited to help strengthen existing relationships while supporting new ideas and emerging communities. She understands what makes open source communities work because she has helped build and sustain them.”

An active member of the Sakai community since 2009, Dr. Hodges continues to play leadership roles in a variety of Sakai initiatives and working groups, including the Project Management Committee, Teaching & Learning and UX Group, the Documentation Working Group, and the Sakai Virtual Conference Planning Group. In recognition of her many contributions to the community, she was named an Apereo Foundation Fellow in 2016.

Dr. Hodges holds a master’s degree in Technical Writing from the University of Central Florida, an Ed.D. in Instructional Technology and Distance Education from Nova Southeastern University, and is a certified Project Management Professional. Dr. Hodges is the Founder and Principal Consultant of Red Willow Solutions, LLC. 

“Apereo has always been a community built around people who care deeply about collaboration, openness, and supporting one another,” shared Dr. Hodges. “I’m incredibly excited to step into this role and help strengthen the relationships and initiatives that make this community special. We have so much energy and creativity happening across Apereo right now, and I’m looking forward to helping connect and support that work.”