Mary Lou Forward is the Executive Director of the Open Education Consortium, an organization dedicated to the development of open education and its impact on higher education around the world. Among its activities, the Open Education Consortium supports the development of open educational projects and policies around the world; runs the annual Open Education Week, a world-wide week of events focused on open education; supports the creation of MOOCs using open content; runs the annual Open Education Global Conference; provides consulting and training in digital, online and open strategy; and maintains the international Directory of Open Education Professionals. Prior to joining the Open Education Consortium, Mary Lou served as the Dean of African studies, working with institutions across Africa for nearly two decades and a faculty member in African Studies with a focus on Environmental Studies and Sustainability.
