John T. Lesperance Before joining the Commonwealth of Learning in 2009 as Education Specialist for the Virtual University for Small States of the Commonwealth (VUSSC), John Lesperance worked in the Technical and Further Education Division of the Ministry of Education in the Seychelles, as the Director for Further Education Development. He was responsible for integrating competency-based education and training across the post-secondary sector, conceptualising and developing a post-secondary education and training framework, and recommending strategies for the development and implementation of further education and training (including technical and vocational training). During his time with the Ministry of Education, he established the Seychelles Industrial Training Centre, now called the Seychelles Institute of Technology, and later served as Director of the same institution. Mr. Lesperance also served as a member of the technical committee that was responsible for establishing the Seychelles Qualifications Authority, and later served as a member of the Board of Directors for the Authority. Since 2006, he has become actively involved with the VUSSC initiative, wherein his country has played an important role. He has also worked in the field of curriculum development, including for open and distance learning. Mr. Lesperance holds a Master’s degree in Education. johntlesp@gmail.com
Lisbeth Levey Lisbeth Levey is a consultant on information and communications technologies (ICT) for development. She works on ICT in Africa, particularly on improving information access and on enhancing dissemination of African information through technology. Ms. Levey is currently a senior advisor to The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation Education Program, where she assists programme staff in their international OER grant-making activities, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa. She also served as resource specialist for AgShare, a programme to improve post-graduate training in the agricultural sciences in Africa, which is being implemented by OER Africa and Michigan State University. Previously, she was facilitator of the Partnership for Higher Education in Africa (PHEA) in New York and a consultant to the Ford and Rockefeller foundations in Nairobi. levey180@gmail.com
Wayne Mackintosh Dr. Wayne Mackintosh is the founding director of the OER Foundation, an independent, not-for-profit organisation that provides leadership, international networking and support for educators and educational institutions to achieve their objectives using open education approaches. He is also Director of the International Centre for Open Education at Otago Polytechnic in New Zealand and serves as a member of the Board of Directors of
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