Our Team

Following the hub model of educational development, CELT includes all members of the Saint Mary’s community who support and participate in center programming. The people listed here help to develop, assess, and manage programming to ensure quality and effective teaching and learning practices are available for the university.

Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching

Christopher Adamson is the director of the Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching. As an educational developer and digital humanist, he focuses on promoting student agency and autonomy through integrating whole-person formation in the classroom. Within Victorian studies, he researches medievalism and ways of reading literature with the insights of liturgical theology. His work has appeared in journals such as the Academy of Management Review and Postmedieval: A Journal of Medieval Cultural Studies, and his recent article, “Human Formation in the Age of Automation,” is available from New Directions for Teaching and Learning. He holds a PhD from Emory University and an MA and certificate in college and university teaching from Oregon State University.

Learning Design

Joe Gargaro serves as the Director of Learning Design on the Twin Cities campus. Joe worked as a Middle School Social Studies Teacher, primarily in Catholic Schools. He also has held roles as a program director and faculty member with Saint Mary’s University. Joe holds a BA in Social Studies Education, an MA in Educational Leadership, and an MBA from Saint Mary’s University. Joe is passionate about educational equity, learner engagement, and educational technology.

Educational Technology

Garey Gill serves as the Director of Educational Technology on the Twin Cities Campus. With a wealth of experience in education, training and development, Garey has operated various roles including classroom teacher, administrator, trainer and instructional technologist. His background includes a B.A. in History Education, and a M.A in Instructional Technology.

Spencer Wanlass has extensive experience as an Educational Technologist in both in-person and online settings. Spencer has supported a team of Instructional Technologists through multiple LMS transitions. Throughout Spencer’s career, she has been involved with thousands of individual course migrations while managing multiple teams and task forces to accomplish instructional needs and learning initiatives.

Sarah Irshad serves as an Educational Technologist at Saint Mary’s University, Twin Cities Campus. Before joining Saint Mary’s, she gained valuable experience in higher education by providing supplemental instruction to students. Sarah is deeply committed to enhancing learning experiences through the effective integration of educational technology, ensuring accessible and equitable online learning environments.

College Faculty Development Committee

The mission of the Faculty Development Committee is to foster the healthy professional development of the faculty at large. To accomplish this goal, the committee facilitates and provides opportunities for the professional growth of each faculty member. It constructively reviews and makes recommendations regarding faculty proposals for sabbaticals, grants, and other development opportunities as are made institutionally available; recommends guidelines for faculty development; suggests institutional changes promoting professional development; cultivates collaborative learning opportunities such as book discussion groups, workshops, and teaching circles; and encourages public sharing of individual faculty development efforts to provide opportunities for faculty to improve as educators, scholars, and collegial members of a Lasallian academic community.

SGPP Faculty Development Committee

The faculty development committee serves as advisors and facilitators for our CELT programs. This 7 person committee meets twice a month, and it includes representatives from the library, writing center, and each academic school and degree level.  The purpose of this committee is to facilitate development and maintenance of high-quality term and adjunct faculty by:

• creating initiatives that support teaching and learning in the Lasallian Catholic tradition

• coordinating with CELT ongoing faculty development activities

• building a community of teacher-scholars within the term and adjunct faculty

• making recommendations for the awarding of internal grant funds and sabbaticals

• convening and maintaining an advisory committee of adjunct faculty members.

CELT Faculty Advisory Committee

This committee consists of 6-7 adjunct faculty, who actively teach in Saint Mary’s programs. Committee members meet twice a year, providing input and guidance to ensure that the faculty development (CELT) programs meet the needs of Saint Mary’s adjunct faculty. The membership rotates every 2 years. Contact us if you’re interested in serving on this committee.