Meet a woman whose love of higher education specifically online education is only matched by her love of partaking in lattes. Her career spans adult education working both in the private and public sectors.
Currently, Dr. Watkins is the Chief Academic Officer at Instructional Connections (IC), a provider of high quality instructional support services to colleges and universities offering online courses and degree programs. As Chief Academic Officer she serves as the liaison between IC and institutions of higher learning, conducting research and ensuring that the academic support needs of the institutions are met.
Additionally, Dr. Watkins teaches graduate students in the Educational Technology Program at University of Texas at Rio Grande Valley. Formerly, Dr. Watkins served as the Director of Online Learning for the newly established online University of Arkansas System, eVersity (currently UA Grantham). She built the initial core team of Instructional Designers who developed innovative online courses and programs for the university using primarily OER materials.
Previous to this she was the Manager of Academic Partnerships at the University of Texas at Arlington. She oversaw the logistics and implementation of accelerated distance education programs with contracted vendors at the Center for Distance Education. Early in her career at UTA, she was manager of Instructional Design and started her career as an instructional designer and trainer.
Dr. Watkins served as the past president of the International Leadership Council, and board member for Golden Key International Honour Society. Dr. Watkins is currently the President-Elect for the Texas Digital Learning Association (TxDLA) 2022-23.
Dr. Watkins loves to share her passion for online education and volunteers with various educational organizations providing her leadership, and mentoring expertise. She holds an Ed.D in Distance Education from Regent University in Virginia Beach, VA. She loves spending time with her family, especially her grandchildren whom she adores.
Dr. Harriet E. Watkins 