Georgianna Laws, Ed.D.
BIOGRAPHY
Education
Ed.D., Higher Education Leadership, Maryville University
M.Ed., Adult Education & Distance Learning, University of Phoenix
B.Ed., Teaching English and French, Ploiesti University
Dr. Georgianna Laws is an award-winning higher-education expert and online education enthusiast with 20+ of global experience in online teaching, training and development, curriculum, learning experience design, project management, scholarship, and leadership.
- As a faculty member at Life University Online, Dr. Laws teaches high-quality asynchronous classes to help educate tomorrow’s generation of leaders who will have to aptly and wisely solve complex issues related to the
- As a leader, Dr. Laws helped Dean Belcastro with the development, strategy, and operation of the Life University College of Online Education, putting in place faculty, and staff, contracts, policies, processes, procedures, templates, curriculum, training standards, quality-assurance standards, peer-review performance metrics, and educational technology solutions.
- As a consultant and entrepreneur, Dr. Laws serves as the founding CEO for Geo Laws Consulting, a consultancy practice aiming to empower higher-education leaders in creating, operating, and sustainably scaling up quality online programs.
- As a scholar, Dr. Laws focuses on the chief online education officers (COEOs) role in higher education, aiming to understand how best to empower COEOs to assure quality in the administration of online programs at institutions in the United States.
- As a speaker, Dr. Laws addresses national audiences about the COEO role in higher education, virtual team building, quality in the design, delivery, and administration of online education, as well as cyber security implications for online education.
- As a member of the online-education leadership community, Dr. Laws serves the board of directors of the United States Distance Learning Association, giving back to the field primarily by organizing the annual National Distance Learning Week conference.
- Certification, Executive Leadership – Oxford University Saïd Business School, 2023
- Certificate, Introduction to Corporate Sustainability, Social Innovation, and Ethics -- Imperial College Business School, 2022
- Certification, Leading in a Remote Environment – Harvard University Business School, 2022
- Certification, CASEPS – Council for At-Risk Student Education and Professional Standards, 2021
- Certification, Institutional Coordinator – Quality Matters, 2021
- Certification, Institute for Emerging Leadership in Online Education, Online Learning Consortium, 2020
- Certification, Quality Scorecard Mastery Series: The Administration of Online Programs – Online Learning Consortium, 2017
- Certification, Higher Education Peer Reviewer Coordinator – Quality Matters, 2007; 2015.
- Certification, Online Teaching & Course Design Programs – Online Learning Consortium, 2015
- Certification, Higher Education Chair Coordinator – Quality Matters, 2007
- Licensure, English and French Post-Secondary Teaching– Ploiesti University, Romania, 2000
- Laws, G. (2021). Powerful or powerless? Chief online education officers’ legitimate power over online program quality in U.S. higher education institutions. Online Learning, 25(2), 120-139. https://doi.org/10.24059/olj.v25i2.2101
- Laws, G. (2018, June 26). The Chief Online Education Officer. In M.N. Clay & J. Stone (Eds.) 2018 Distance Learning Administration Annual Proceedings. Paper presented at the 2018 Distance Learning Administration, Jekyll Island, GA. Carrollton, GA: University of West Georgia.
- Laws, G., Nowatkowski, M., Heslen, J. & Vericella, S. (2018, June 27). Guidelines for cyber hygiene in online education. In M.N. Clay & J. Stone (Eds.) 2018 Distance Learning Administration Annual Proceedings. Paper presented at the 2018 Distance Learning Administration, Jekyll Island, GA. Carrollton, GA: University of West Georgia.
- Laws, G. (2016, June 20). Web solution for communicating with, supporting, and training distance-learning faculty. 2016 Distance Learning Administration Annual Proceedings. In M.N. Clay & J. Stone (Eds.) 2016 Distance Learning Administration Annual Proceedings. Presented at the 2016 Distance Learning Administration, Jekyll Island, GA (pp. 29-36). Carrollton, GA: University of West Georgia.
- Barefield, A. & Laws, G. (2016, June 21). Using LMS embedded analytics to evaluate an online competency-based program. 2016 Distance Learning Administration Annual Proceedings. In M.N. Clay & J. Stone (Eds.) 2016 Distance Learning Administration Annual Proceedings. Presented at the 2016 Distance Learning Administration, Jekyll Island, GA (pp. 135-142). Carrollton, GA: University of West Georgia.
Acknowledgement
- Abdi, I., Gagnon, L., Wise, S. & and Passmore, G. (2017). Design and validation of a survey questionnaire for the assessment of physician transfusion medicine knowledge. Clinical Laboratory Science, 30(1), Winter 2017.
Awards
- “Cybersecurity implications in online higher education” –Excellent Session Award, United States Distance Learning Association 35th National Conference, 2022
- College of Online Education, Online Teaching Excellence, Life University, 2020
- “Institute for Emerging Leadership in Online Learning” – Bruce N. Chaloux Scholarship Recipient, Online Learning Consortium, 2020
- Chief Online Education Officers: A Groundbreaking National Research Study – Research and Scholarly Activity Award,Life University, 2020
- “The Chief Online Education Officer Role in the United States “ – Research and Scholarly Activity Award, Life University, 2019
- “Cyber Conflict”, “Strategic Cybersecurity”, and “The Global Cyber Threat Environment” – Top 5 Cybersecurity Courses, National Security Agency, 2018
- “Project: ELRN 100, SCAD eLearning Experience: Online Recruitment Initiative Results in 95% Retention projec.“ –Institutional Strategies & Innovations Best-in-Track Award, OLC International Conference, 2014
- “Project: ELRN 100, SCAD eLearning Experience “ – Recruitment Website or Microsite Award of Excellence, CASE Southwest District III, 2014
Honors
- Keynote Speaker, 22nd Anniversary of the Distance Learning Administration Conference, 2023
- North Dakota Legislator’s Retreat Moderator, Hunt Institute, 2022
- Board of Directors Officer (2020 Presidential Appointee, Publicly Reelected through 2023), United States Distance Learning Association (USDLA), 2020 – present
- Producer, USDLA, National Distance Learning Week Conference (NDLW), 2020 – present
- Chair, Leadership and Advocacy Track, Online Learning Consortium (OLC), OLC Innovate 2022 Conference
- Chair, USDLA, Marketing & Communications Committee, 2021 – 2022
- Chair, University at North Texas at Dallas, Distance Learning Advisory Committee, 2022
- Chair, Auburn University at Montgomery, Online Learning Advisory Taskforce (OLAT), 2021
- Leader, Innovation Crew, OLC Innovate 2022
- Reviewer, Online Learning Journal, 2021
- Reviewer, Online Learning Consortium, OLC Innovate Conference, 2021 – present
- Reviewer, Online Learning Consortium, OLC Accelerate Conference, 2020 – present
- Reviewer, United States Distance Learning Association National Conference, 2020 – present
- Reviewer, USDLA International Forum for Women in eLearning Conference, 2020 – present
- Advisory Board Officer, Augusta University, Confucius Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 2017 - 2019
- Advisory Board Officer, Augusta University, Faculty Development & Teaching Excellence, 2014 – 2018
- Executive Officer of the Board of Trustees, Coastal Empire Montessori Charter School, 2012 - 2013
- Inaugural President, Florida State University’s Instructional Design Student Association, 2007-2008