OETC is proud to welcome Ellen Dorr to our board of directors, who is replacing Mark Finstrom after more than 10 years of service.
Ellen joins us as the CTO of Renton (Wash.) School District; she also serves as an adjunct faculty member at Seattle Pacific University (bio below). The membership also re-elected Sharon Blanton, Don Wolff and Rachel Wente-Chaney.
Outgoing president David Roberts, CTO of Boise School District, has been succeeded by Kirk Kelly, CIO for Portland State University. Mike Fleckenstein, IT CIO of Anchorage School District, is now president-elect, and Chad Stiteler, VP of Administrative Services for Bellingham Technical College, will serve as treasurer.
Meet the BoardEllen Dorr
Chief Technology Officer
Renton School District
Ellen Dorr began her career in education as an English and language arts teacher in a low-income, high-diversity middle school; her dedication to educational equity and strong outcomes for all students has shaped her work ever since.
As the CTO of Renton School District, Ellen oversees Technology Services, which includes customer service, infrastructure, and digital learning. She tasks her department with providing the resources and support to empower educators, create inclusive, equitable instruction in classrooms, and increase efficiency and effectiveness across the district.
Previously, Ellen served as the Director of Digital Learning in Renton and the Learning Technology Manager for Highline Public Schools. In both roles, she helped to write district technology plans and ensured that supports for students learning were provided and used intentionally. She identified and planned implementation of digital tools that met specific learning needs and evaluated data on these tools, focusing support on instructional practices.
Ellen is an adjunct faculty member at Seattle Pacific University, where she has supported the Master in Education in Digital Education Leadership Program. She is a member of Transcend Education’s Yellow Hats League, serves on the steering committee for the Community of Innovative Practice, and is a member of the 1Million Project District Advisory Council.
She holds a bachelor’s degree in biology from Reed College, a master’s degree in teaching from Seattle University, and is pursuing her doctorate in education and superintendent certification in the Leadership for Learning program at the University of Washington, where she is focused on equity-centered leadership and transformation of educational systems. She is a National Board Certified Teacher (NBCT) and a Certified Education Technology Leader (CETL).
Sharon Blanton
Vice President of Information Technology and Campus Safety
The College of New Jersey
Sharon brings extensive experience directing and managing all aspects of IT service delivery and operations support within highly complex environments. She is now the VP of Information Technology and Campus Safety at The College of New Jersey following a tenure as VP of Information Technology for Hawaii Pacific University.
Sharon is a 2005 graduate of the EDUCAUSE Frye Leadership Institute and remains an active part of the organization, serving on several conference committees and project teams. She has also held leadership positions for the NJEdge Board, the New Jersey Big Data Alliance, the Center for Higher Ed CIO Studies, and the Center for Technology Leadership at Excelsior College.
Sharon holds her doctorate in higher education administration from Capella University, a master’s degree in instructional technology from the University of Virginia and a bachelor’s degree in mass communications and instructional technology from Towson University.
Rachel Wente-Chaney
Chief Information Officer
High Desert Education Service District
Rachel supports a regional technology ecosystem that includes network services, information services, digital learning spaces, digital workspace modernization, information security and more for the High Desert ESD in Central Oregon. As CIO, Rachel and her team work daily to improve the security, access, and mobility of technology resources in classrooms, schools and offices throughout the region.
Rachel joined HDESD in 2006, working as the information projects manager before assuming her current role in 2011.
She holds a master’s degree in information science from Syracuse University, a bachelor’s degree in history from Indiana University and a graduate certificate in cybersecurity from Harvard Extension School.
Don Wolff
Chief Technology Officer
Portland Public Schools
Don began his career as a classroom teacher for second, fourth and fifth grades. Since then, he’s served as district technology coordinator for the Phoenix-Talent School District, director of technology for the Oregon Education Enterprise Steering Committee, CIO for the Willamette Education Service District, where he was a founding member of the Cascade Technology Alliance (CTA), and CIO of Hillsboro School District.
As CTO for the Pacific Northwest’s largest school district, Don oversees the technology needs of more than 49,000 P-12 students spread across more than 100 locations.
He holds a master’s degree in educational technology from Pepperdine University and a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from Southern Oregon University.