ASCD Hires New Chief Program Development Officer
Alexandria, VA (03/03/10)—Judy Zimny, an experienced K–12 administrator, teacher, and curriculum developer with more than 25 years in public education, has been selected to lead ASCD’s Program Development Work Group. This group is charged with developing comprehensive programs, products, and services for educators, such as capacity-building professional development, online learning, conferences, and publications. ASCD Executive Director Gene R. Carter announced that Zimny will officially take the helm as chief program development officer on April 19.
In explaining his decision to have her lead ASCD's Program Development Work Group, Carter cited the breadth and depth of Zimny’s experience and credentials, specifically her work in both K–12 and higher education and expertise in harnessing technology to deliver targeted professional development to educators.
"Judy’s hands-on experience as an educator helps her know exactly what classroom teachers and building administrators require to address the needs of their students," Carter said. "She’s quite familiar with ASCD's long-standing commitment to high-quality professional development and she’s grounded in developing programs, products, and services that enable educators to be responsive to the unique needs of each student in their care."
Zimny is currently the executive vice president of program development for Higher Ed Holdings (HEH), a service provider to state universities that helps established institutions increase student access to their high-quality programs.
Zimny began her career in St. Louis County, Mo., as a special education teacher assistant in 1977, working her way up to become a teacher, lead teacher, assistant principal, and principal at both the elementary and high school levels. During her 14 years as a principal in the Dallas Independent School District, she developed a reputation for consistently and effectively integrating the efforts of students, parents, teachers, and community members to achieve solid academic gains while providing safe and nurturing learning environments. She also served as adjunct faculty in teacher preparation programs for Southern Methodist University and Texas A&M–Commerce.
Zimny was recruited in 2005 by Higher Ed Holdings to help build and implement its academic programs. She began with the creation and launch of two MEd programs for the American College of Education: Educational Leadership and Curriculum and Instruction. She continued to be promoted into more senior roles: first as senior vice president of implementation, where she managed the implementation of a one-to-one laptop initiative at the high school level, and next as senior vice president of program development, where she directed the creation of 12 academic, multimedia, distance-learning courses for high school students.
As HEH began forming partnerships with state universities in 2007, Zimny led the effort in working with faculty to transition their academic programs and courseware to an online delivery model. Simultaneously, she was named associate provost for American College of Education and was responsible for three additional teacher education programs: English as a Second Language, Bilingual Education, and Educational Technology.
In 2009, in addition to retaining her duties as associate provost, Zimny was promoted to executive vice president of program development for Higher Ed Holdings and served on Higher Ed Holdings's executive leadership team.
Zimny received her bachelor’s degree in elementary education from Harris-Stowe State Teachers College, her master’s degree in educational administration from the University of Missouri–St. Louis, and her doctorate in curriculum and instruction from Texas A&M–Commerce.
Zimny said that ASCD's commitment to advancing best practices and policies for the success of every teacher, learner, and leader is what attracted her to ASCD.
"ASCD will continue to be the international leader in providing solutions for learners, teachers, and educational administrators," Zimny said. "I am excited about ASCD's focus on expanding how services will be delivered, where they will be delivered, and to whom they will be delivered. I'm looking forward to helping ASCD increase its ability to work across borders, disciplines, and educational levels to deliver the best professional development to today’s educators."
Contact Information
- Barbara Michelman, communications director, at 1-703-575-5764 or by e-mail.
- Laura Berry, communications specialist, at 1-703-575-5461 or by e-mail.