Cynthia Sistek National University, USA

Cynthia Sistek, EdD, (Dr. C) is a professor in the Sanford College of Education at National University in La Jolla, California. Currently, she serves as the academic program director for the Master of Arts in Social and Emotional Learning degree program. In 2020, Cynthia co-developed MA SEL. In addition, she designed and edited the ten playbooks in social and emotional learning (https://selplaybook.org). For the 2022–2023 year, she served as the chair of the SEL Special Interest Group for the American Education Research Association.

Cynthia is a recognized leader in educational technology, who in 2020 was awarded EdTech Digest’s Higher Education Technology Leader of the Year. In 2019, she earned both the prestigious ISTE and CUE Award for *Making IT Happen* and a Gold and Platinum Disk from CUE for her lifetime achievements and service to the educational technology community.

Cynthia is a pioneer in online learning, having designed and taught online courses since 1999. Her ongoing research focuses on the efficacy of online learning in higher education, the intersections of SEL in online environments, and how synchronous methods of online communication enhance teaching and learning. Her book, Exploring Online Learning Through Synchronous and Asynchronous Methods, was published by IGI Global in April 2020 and showcased many studies and practices that support online learning.