Value of Open Education Awards for Excellence
Catherine Casserly
Catherine Casserly is the founder and president of Casserly Consulting & Coaching based in the United States. She is an experienced leader and a focused strategist who challenges entrenched thinking and positions individuals and organizations for accelerated performance. Her work spans the U.S. and international arenas and involves consulting partnerships and executive coaching with philanthropic, nonprofit, corporate, startup, and learning organizations.
Previously, Casserly was CEO and President of Creative Commons, an Aspen Institute Fellow, Vice President at the Carnegie Foundation, and Vice President at EdCast, a mobile-first start-up. She was a founding pioneer of the Open Educational Resources field, developing, managing, and launching the 100 million USD inaugural portfolio for the Hewlett Foundation. She is also a member of the Advisory Council for the National Science Foundation. Early in her career, Casserly taught mathematics in Kingston, Jamaica and tutored in a high security prison. She earned her Ph.D. in the economics of education from Stanford University, B.A. in Mathematics from Boston College, and holds an Honorary Doctorate from the Open University, U.K.
Casserly was presented the President’s Award for OpenCourseWare Excellence for developing the Open Educational Resources Initiative while at The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation.
What did winning an award mean to you?
The award in 2011, to my knowledge, was the first time formal recognition was given in the field of Open Educational Resources (OER). I was honored as it validated the pioneering work of OEGlobal and all the contributing organizations and community members around the globe who catalyzed the field and instinctively understood the possibilities of openness as a vehicle for equity and learning.
What did it lead to?
At the time in 2011, I was the first full-time CEO of Creative Commons, and this award signaled the maturity of global organizations in the open sector, built by contributing members in each region of the world. The award re-affirmed the momentum underway in the field and led to my continued engagement as an advisor, advocate, and strategist for OER organizations and leaders.
Where are you now?
I am laughing as I write this, as the work of OEGlobal opens my heart in gratitude continuously. This week I had the joy of participating in an OEGlobal board meeting with exceptionally dedicated leaders, facilitating discussions around equity-centered strategies with the next generation of pioneers for the National Consortium of Open Education, iterating on a blog post with a colleague reflecting on the 20-year arc of the field, accepting the role of lead discussant in a European event focused on post covid open education challenges and opportunities, and coaching talented individuals in the OER space seeking to step authentically into their leadership roles. So I say I am now exactly where I am