Meet the Program Leaders

Dr. Shepherd is an associate professor in the English Department and Program Launch Director for the online Bachelor of Arts degree program in Digital Innovation + Design (DI+D). DI+D equips students with new ways of thinking and doing to solve real-world problems and foster innovation.
Connect with the DI+D team

Dr. Megan Cattau is the Program Director for the Certificate in Drone Operations for Visualization, Research, and Resource Management and Assistant Professor in Human-Environment Systems. She partners with Co-Directors Dr. Trevor Caughlin of Biology and Dr. Jeffrey Johnson of Geosciences. The certificate offers students training in drone flying, imagery for research, and technology for business applications.

Dr. Ellertson is the Director of the Bachelor of Science degree program in Games, Interactive Media, and Mobile (GIMM). GIMM graduates use their skills in immersive ‘gaming’ technologies to solve complex challenges in industry, education, and the community.
Connect with the GIMM team

Dr. Chris Haskell (AKA “Doc”) is Head Coach for the Esports Varsity Team. Boise State hosts competitive videogame teams as an officially sanctioned varsity activity for undergraduate and graduate students.
Connect with the Esports Team

Dr. Brett Shelton is a Professor in the College of Education’s Department of Educational Technology and the Program Director for the fully-online Esports courses, which will be a certificate in summer 2023. The courses provide training in the Esports industry.

Dr. Schneider is the Associate Dean for CI+D and the Director of the Human-Environment Systems (HES) faculty group. HES uses community-based research to find real-world solutions to pressing environmental challenges.
Connect with the HES team

Mark Woychick is Director and Clinical Professor of the Onramp and Google Career Certificates at Boise State programs. The Onramp Program provides coding experiences to underserved K-12 students throughout Idaho. Google Career Certificates offer Project Management, IT support, and Data Analysis certificates.

Brad Weigle and Jennie Myers are Co-Directors and Assistant Clinical Professors for Society for Ideas (SFI). Brad and Jennie are also Co-Founders of the creative agency, Against. SFI offers certificates and courses with the goal of teaching anyone in the world the ability to learn creative problem-solving skills, gain a competitive edge, and improve their creative confidence to succeed in their studies and careers.
Connect with the SFI team

Lana Grover is the Director of Programming in the CI+D Dean’s Office and leads the UX Design (UXD) Certificate. The UXD Certificate provides an introduction to the skills and processes of working in the field of UX Design.

Cara Van Sant is the interim director of Venture College, where students acquire entrepreneurial skills and apply those skills in launching new ventures.
Connect with the Venture College team

Dr. Heidi Reeder was a founding Program Director in the College of Innovation + Design’s launch in 2015. The Leadership and Human Relations Skills-Building Certificate (LEAD) program grew in quality and size and was graduated to the School of Public Service in Fall 2021.

The UX Research Certificate programs were created by the Department of Anthropology with the support of CI+D in 2017. The program graduated in Fall 2022 to be fully sustained by the College of Arts and Sciences and the Department of Anthropology.

Dr. Donna Llewellyn, Executive Director for Institute for Transformative and Inclusive Scholarship (IFITS), alongside former CI+D Associate Dean Dr. Will Hughes, brought the Vertically Integrated Projects (VIP) program to Boise State in Spring 2016. The VIP program enables students to earn academic credits for participating in faculty-led interdisciplinary teams over multiple semesters. The program graduated to IFITS in Fall 2021.