Andy Stern is President Emeritus of the 2.2 million-member Service Employees International Union (SEIU), the fastest-growing union in North America. One of the most connected Democrats in Washington, Stern and SEIU were widely credited for helping elect Barack Obama in 2008.
Dr. Amber C. Ward hails from the City of Brotherly Love, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and is a 3-time alumnus
of Delaware State University. She received a Bachelor's in Community Health in 2006, a Master's in
Curriculum and Instruction in 2008, and most recently, her doctorate in Educational Leadership in 2021. Dr.
Amber C. Ward has over 15 years of experience in higher education and is passionate about both student and
faculty success.
She is currently the Associate Director for Institutional Effectiveness/ Center for Teaching & Learning, a
position that she loves! By providing a variety of faculty development opportunities, creating a framework for
effective teaching for the university, and cultivating a culture of assessment, she has made an influential
impact on student success through the success of university faculty. As the doors of teaching, learning,
assessment, accreditation, and the effectiveness of higher education continue to revolve, Dr. Ward welcomes
any opportunity to learn and grow both as an individual and as a professional.
Most recently, Dr. Ward collaborated with several HBCU faculty developers to establish an HBCU CTL
Consortium whose mission is to support and strengthen faculty development at Historically Black Colleges and
Universities. Dr. Ward is motivated by her professional philosophy: “As the world of education continues to
diversify, the significance of teaching, learning, and assessment will remain crucial to higher education.
Effective pedological practices that embrace new teaching and learning technologies, reinforce student
learning, and strengthen student success are imperative and invaluable to the teaching and learning
experience. As a leader of institutional effectiveness, I am committed to the scholarship of teaching, learning,
and assessment. As an educational developer, I am steadfast in my efforts to provide resources that support
student success and enrich the effective teaching practices of faculty. As I continue to further my knowledge
and experience within the emerging fields of educational development and institutional effectiveness, my
devotion to student and faculty success is unwavering.”
Dr. Ward resides in Magnolia, Delaware, with her 18-year old son, Amari. He will be starting his post-
secondary journey in the fall of 2022 at Delaware State University, where he will be playing baseball.
A native Iowan, Dr. Roger Yohe has been the Vice President of Academic Affairs at Palm Beach State College since 2016. His career in higher education began as a faculty member and administrator at the Maricopa Community College District in 1990. He graduated with this B.A. from the University of Northern Iowa and began his educational career by teaching business subjects and coaching at two Iowa high schools, and creating computer programs for each school district. He earned his masters and doctorate degrees from Arizona State University while serving as a graduate teaching and research assistant in the Education Media and Computers and Educational Leadership programs. Dr. Yohe has taught at the middle school, secondary, undergraduate and graduate levels and is an advocate for effective technology use in Arizona’s schools. Dr. Yohe was a founding board member of the Arizona Technology in Education Association and the founding Director for the Center for Teaching and Learning at Estrella Mountain Community College. He currently serves as the Vice President of Academic Innovation and Strategy at Palm Beach State College, one of the largest state colleges in Florida that serves 33,000 students.
