Josh Baron (Marist College)

As the Senior Academic Technology Officer for Marist College, Mr. Baron directs the office of Academic Technology and eLearning which is responsible for overseeing a wide range of instructional technology initiatives, including distance learning, faculty professional development, and learner support. He also plays a leadership role in strategic planning for the College in areas of academic and information technology.

Mr. Baron was first elected to the Sakai Foundation Board of Directors in 2008 and re-elected for a second three year term in 2011. He has served as Foundation Board Chair for three years between 2009 and 2012. He is also a member of the EducationDynamics Advisory Board, one of the leading distance education marketing companies in the United States. Before coming to Marist, Mr. Baron was the Associate Director of Instructional Technology at Stevens Institute of Technology. In this capacity, he helped lead a $10 million U.S. Department of Education technology initiative working both at the K-12 and college level. During this time he was also a member of the Stevens WebCampus initiative and developed one of the first Stevens online graduate courses. A third generation educator, he has a deep passion for teaching and technology that stems from his early exposure to LOGO programming through a progressive education program inspired by Seymour Papert’s book “Mindstorms”.

Mr. Baron has presented at numerous national and international higher education and K-12 conferences including EDUCAUSE, Campus Technology, NECC, Sloan-C, League of Innovation in Community Colleges, and the International Sakai conferences. He graduated magna cum laude from the University of Michigan with a Bachelor of Science degree in Aerospace Engineering and holds a Master of Arts degree in Educational Technology Leadership (ETL) from the George Washington University through their pioneering online ETL program.