Brief Bio
The 100 word version
Dr. Erin Crisp is the executive director of the Tennessee Grow Your Own Center, a service of the University of Tennessee system and the Tennessee Department of Education. Prior to joining an edtech start-up for two years, she worked in higher education for nearly a decade, leading online learning, assessment, and strategic innovation. Crisp earned her doctorate in instructional systems technology from Indiana University and loves all things teaching, learning, and technology. Her early career was spent teaching English which was followed by several years facilitating teacher professional development for Northwest Evaluation Association. These days, you can find Erin doing something outdoorsy, collaborating on a research project, or walking around Knoxville with her spouse, Eric.
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The Longer Bio
Dr. Erin Crisp leads the Tennessee Grow Your Own Center at the University of Tennessee System as the inaugural executive director. Prior to joining the GYO Center, Crisp held the chief academic officer's role for a software development startup for two years. The first two decades of her career were spent in K-12 education and higher education. Roles held include middle and high school English teacher, consultant in K-12 schools, instructional designer for online programs, director of assessment and accreditation, and associate vice president where she cleared institutional pathways for innovative programs including competency-based education, project-based learning, micro-credentialing, and programs to better serve working adult learners. Erin's research interests revolve around the design of curriculum and program structures to improve the learner experience. Her framework for designing a learner's experience with feedback has been used to program AI tools and will be coming out in a book chapter in the fall of 2023. When she isn't thinking about teaching and learning, she is probably visiting her 3 adult sons, camping, backpacking, or walking around Knoxville with her spouse, Eric.
Crisp earned her doctorate in instructional systems technology from Indiana University and loves all things teaching, learning and technology. She has been invited to provide keynote addresses and has presented numerous times at AALHE, ACHE, and ISTE. Her academic research has been published in TechTrends and EDUCAUSE, and she was awarded best graduate student research project from the Online Learning Consortium in 2018.
Bio for Writing
A native of New Brunswick, Canada and alum of Indiana Wesleyan University, Erin's academic credentials include a BA in English education, Masters in instructional technology, and a doctoral degree in education from Indiana University. Her husband, Eric, is ordained in the Wesleyan church, and together they parent three nearly adult young men. While her full time job involves educational technology and online learning, from 8 years old, her hobby has been writing. Erin has published devotional pieces in Motherhood as a Spiritual Journey, several editions of the annual Asbury Seminary Reader, a five week devotional booklet for attendees of the Wesleyan Women's Alive conference, a story for Pastor's Spouse Connection, and several pieces for the Annesley Writer's Forum. She also contributes regularly to the Light From the Word devotional from Wesleyan Publishing House.
Her five favorite activities include family time, writing, working (which she loves), hiking, and ice cream on the front porch with friends, so stop by next time you're in Marion, Indiana.
