Contact:
rkerr6@uis.edu
Rob Kerr
Executive Director, Innovation and Opportunity
Rob Kerr serves as the Executive Director for UIS Innovation and Opportunity. His background includes over 20 years in higher education and economic development. His previous positions include Director of Continuing and Professional Education at UIS; Deputy Director for Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Technology at the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity; Dean of Enrollment and Career Programs and Registrar at Richland Community College; and Director of Career and Technical Education at the Illinois Community College Board. In addition, Rob served as an adjunct faculty member at Benedictine University Springfield for 18 years.
Contact:
emart2@uis.edu
Emily Keener
Director, Continuing and Professional Education
Emily has been developing instructional content for over a decade, working with diverse design teams to create courses, simulations, job aids, and other material to help learners reach their goals. She has also consulted with educators on the effective use of technology to improve learning outcomes. Emily holds a MSEd in Instructional Design and Performance Improvement and is certified in technical communication from the Society for Technical Communication.
Contact:
wstou2@uis.edu
Russ Stoup
Associate Director, Continuing and Professional Education
Russ serves as the Coordinator of Professional Programs at UIS. Previously he directed the Instructional Technology program at a community college for twenty-three years, where he trained instructors and facilitated the distance learning program as the Education Technology Administrator. He concurrently served as an adjunct instructor of Career Development and Career Decision-Making. During that time he earned a Master of Online Teaching (MOT), Master Online Leader & Administrator (MOLA) and Digital Accessibility for Educators Certificate (DAE) through the ION Professional eLearning Program.
Contact:
danto2@uis.edu
Deb Antoine
Instructional Development Specialist
Deb develops online content for CAPE to help make courses more interactive and engaging. She draws on her experience as a media producer and her time teaching in higher education to create meaningful experiences for learners. She earned a Master of Arts from UIS in communication and a Master of Online Teaching from ION Professional eLearning Programs.
Contact:
dhogr@uis.edu
Devon Hogrebe
Extra Help Instructional Designer
Devon brings over 5 years of experience in developing instructional content and collaborating with diverse teams, stakeholders, and clients. Her expertise lies in using technology to craft engaging and effective courses, with a strong commitment to enhancing learner outcomes. She holds an M.Ed in Literacy Education from Eastern Washington University.
Contact:
jhous2@uis.edu
Jacob House, Ph.D.
Instructional Development Specialist
Jacob has been developing instructional content and working to create courses and other materials to help learners reach their goals. Jacob has also been teaching in higher education for a decade. He received a Ph.D. in History from Kent State University, where he taught as an online adjunct.
Lindsey Kurfman
Continuing Education & IT Innovate Research Support
Lindsey has been the go to IT person for the team, and development. She has a degree in Computer Science and Network Management. She has a working background of over a decade in network, and technical background experience. She is currently working on her Masters degree at University of Illinois at Springfield in Management of Information Systems with a set graduation date of Spring of '26. She then intends to move onto a PhD in AI, where her interest, passion, and a lot of her certifications are based in. She is also passionate about accessibility, online learning, and seeing students succeed
Contact: Email CAPE
Follow on LinkedIN.
Contact:
npham8@uis.edu
Nikki Pham, Ph.D., M.P.H.
Instructional Development Specialist
Nikki’s experience includes curriculum development, instructional design, and science writing. Nikki has been teaching graduate and undergraduate courses in Health Care Administration at Indiana Institute of Technology, where she received her Ph.D. in Global Leadership with a specialization in Higher Education Administration. She received her Master of Public Health degree with a specialization in Health Services Administration from Northern Illinois University.