User:Randyfisher

About Randy Fisher, MA, OMD ~ aka "Wikirandy"
I am a project manager/education specialist with 15+ years of experience, in Canada and internationally. I excel at managing projects, facilitating stakeholder engagement and building strategic partnerships. My experience spans education, change management, e-learning, research and evaluation, business matchmaking / brokering, marketing and communications. I am an expert in Building Sustainable Projects, Communities and Networks with Web 2.0 social networking and collaboration tools.

I am the co-founder of a nonprofit, Development Wisdom, that focuses on developing and implementing wise and sustainable Education, Entrepreneurial, ICT + mobile solutions to empower vulnerable, at-risk and marginalized youth and adults.

I was Education Specialist for the Information and Communications Technology Council (ICTC), in Ottawa, Canada. As "WikiRandy", I have been a leader in open source education resources (OERs), and have provided extensive contributions to the open education community - see the iCentro space on WikiEducator. I have consulted to numerous OER organizations including the International Centre for Open Education / Open Education Resources Foundation, in New Zealand.

I have an MA in Organization Management and Development, Fielding Graduate University, California. My thesis: Primal Needs Gone Digital: Educators' Motivations in an Open Wiki Environment, 2009.

Attributes/Characteristics: Professional, hardworking, excellent writing skills, communicative, resourceful, thorough, organized, high quality, reliable, trustworthy, bright, creative, on-deadline / scope, excellent customer listening skills, identifies new opportunities,

10+ years – program / project management, coordination & evaluation

 * Excellent ability to facilitate / increase stakeholder / member readiness and buy-in, motivation and performance: adressing fear, anxiety and resistance / transition – arising from technology adoption, new business processes and culture change.

5+ years - education technologies, instructional design & e-learning

 * Expertise in using LMS, CMS and emerging instructional technologies for adult learning (i.e., web-based development tools, podcasting, videos, synchronous and asynchronous technologies) in course / module design, delivery and revision;
 * Instructional design and online teaching experience (for blended or online courses), incorporating problem-based learning, peer support and change management
 * Developed and facilitated Communities of Practice in education, ICTs / e-learning, community media and public health.

5+ years –change management, requirements gathering, business processes, customer analysis

 * Adept at reconciling IT and Business issues; analyzing gaps, risks and business processes; developing use cases; and managing Customer expectations
 * Working knowledge of Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC), including agile, iterative development

10+ years – marketing, research, communications and social media

 * Developed North America marketing positioning and pricing models for environmental technology.
 * Expertise in developing integrated social media strategies, tactics and metric-based campaigns.
 * Former business journalist – Globe and Mail, Financial Post & CBC Radio
 * Provided communications support during Future Shop / Best Buy merger integration.
 * Wrote Mergers & Acquisitions cover story for BC HRMA magazine (2007).

Excellent analytical, problem-solving, research, interviewing & writing skills

 * Developed numerous strategic and business plans for financing; conducted market research studies and focus groups; environmental scans and needs analyses.
 * Speaks French & some Spanish

== DigiWise Digital Solutions / Customer Discovery Pros, New Jersey, USA - See: Randy's LinkedIn Profile ==

Various Roles, 2017-present

 * Part-Time Lecturer, Rutgers University (School of Communications and Information, School of Management and Labor Relations)
 * Mentor, National Science Foundation Innovation (I-Corps) Program @ Rutgers
 * Project Manager, Marketing, Research, Partnerships & E-Learning
 * Business / Marketing Consultant & Coach to startups and entrepreneurs


 * LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/customerdiscoverypros/

Founder & Director, 2013 - 2016
''A registered nonprofit organization focused on entrepreneurial, education and ICT + mobile solutions to empower diverse populations in diverse contexts. Canada & International.''


 * Developed new program (2015): Affordable Mentoring and Consulting Services for Entrepreneurs & Small Business. Recruited 25+ Mentor Consultants from Canada and USA.
 * Host / Organizer of Salon Canada''' (Toronto & Ottawa) – a discussion and networking forum for NGOs, ICT firms and government / philanthropic foundations in the international development sector. http://www.developmentwisdom.org/technology-salon.html
 * Conducted research study on ICT-enabled skills development for vulnerable and out-of-school youth in low and middle-income countries. (DFATD - Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Canada)
 * Developed $1.2M proposal / partnership with national aboriginal organization to address 21st Century digital skills literacy and youth unemployment.

Education Specialist, 2012-2013

 * Developed an education strategy for a Canadian HR skills council focus on ICTs
 * Conducted environmental scan
 * Educational support for an ICT skills program in K-12 schools in all Canadian provinces
 * Packaged and developed monetization strategy and sustainability models for education program


 * Grant writing:
 * Developed concept and coordinated $1M proposal with 10 partners across Canada and internationally for digital literacy and essential skills (Adults) and ICT4D. Components included logic model; environmental scan (internationally); gap analysis (Canada); lessons learned and matching best practices; pilot projects; quantitative and qualitative research - pre- and post introduction; CoP development, knowledge-sharing, promotion and dissemination.
 * Developed concept for curriculum development, peer skills certification framework and qualitative and quantitative research. Partnering with Canada's Research Chair in E-Learning.


 * Project coordination for digital competencies and curriculum development, delivery and pilot-test (ICT4 non-ICT professionals)
 * Helped develop an online portal / community-of-practice for K-12 teacher professional development
 * Designed and facilitated Roundtable with 50 participants from Canada's ICT/Apps ecosystem, in cooperation with Export Development Canada. Participants included SMEs, large companies, trade associations, industry supports, government, academia, economic development and incubator/accelerator hubs.
 * Meeting Summary with Highlights
 * Supported the development of Defining the Global Opportunity for Canadian Firms: A Road Map for Mobile Apps Stakeholders


 * Evaluated K-12 ICT skills program, including surveying teachers and students.
 * Identified operational efficiencies to reduce cost, broaden reach, accelerate time-to-market and increase visibility and impact.
 * Saved $8,000 in staff time with a $100 annual investment in team collaboration software.


 * Wrote blog post for World Bank & UNESCO publication - Learning Experientially a Globally with MOOCs.

Consultant, E-Learning, 2012-present

 * Design and development of an online professional development workshop “Performance Management", for 3,000 uOttawa employees. Surveyed stakeholder groups to increase engagement and buy-in.
 * Evaluation of CODL online course development, including ‘train-the-trainer’ and course evaluation.
 * Conducted a baseline review of appropriate learning technologies, training costs, planning and maintenance.

Innovation in Vocational and Educational Skills Training

 * Monitoring and evaluation of the functionality of the INVEST Community Learning Network platform for community-building among Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) stakeholders in developing Commonwealth countries, including educational institution managers and teachers.
 * INVEST-CLN support and coordination of community of practice for flexible and blended learning approaches for TVET in developing countries.
 * Collection and analysis of INVEST-CLN monitoring and evaluation data
 * See: http://www.col.org/progServ/programmes/livelihoods/skillsDev/Pages/FlexibleSkillsAfrica.aspx

Co-Founder, Ottawa, 2012

 * Developing crowdsourced social enterprise.
 * Offering affordable education, face-to-face classes

Consultant, Evaluation, 2012
(An international education and development consultancy with services in Education, Health, Agriculture/Environment and Public Policy. Service include the monitoring and evaluation of projects and programs, institutional and systems strengthening, quality assurance and audits, accreditation, management of open and distance learning, results-based management, sector reviews, governance, policy development and analysis)

=
The Council of Ontario University Programs in Nursing - Primary Health Care Nurse Practitioner Program & Consortium, Ontario, Canada=====
 * Conducting an operational review of the distance education functions of the PHNCP Program & Consortium of 9 Ontario universities. (The Program comprises 7 Master’s level courses towards a post-Baccalaureate certificate, Master’s degree or post-Master’s diploma). Activities include:
 * evaluating value for money of the components of the program;
 * making recommendations about how to optimize the use of existing distance education technologies in order to achieve optimal teaching/learning outcomes; and,
 * making recommendations on industry standards for the distance education delivery components of the program.

Acting Manager, Community Service Learning, 2011
(2 month contract - acting manager - replacing employee on medical leave)
 * Responsible for developing, implementing and maintaining community-based experiential learning opportunities for students, and promote social responsibility to community leaders, campus administration, alumni, faculty and students.
 * Cultivating relationships with 200+ community organizations and agencies, to develop and enhance social responsibility programming options and volunteer opportunities for staff and over 2,000 undergraduate and graduate students.
 * Supervising 3 staff; setting performance objectives, performing employee evaluations and providing coaching and guidance.

Manager, Communications & E-Marketing, 2011

 * Job Description
 * Supported the development and implementation CaGBC’s branding strategy to communicate the value proposition of the Council to industry, government and the members;
 * Developed and implemented a communications and e-marketing plan in alignment with the Council’s strategic direction
 * Working with Market Development team to develop and deliver targeted marketing programs, newsletters, email blasts and collateral materials to promote the Council’s educational, LEED certification and member programs and Chapter outreach and member services.
 * Managed social media, outreach and website development using Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Flickr, YouTube, blogs, wikis and other emerging social applications.

Project Manager, Member Participation & Community Growth

 * Project management, stakeholder engagement and facilitation for consortium of 200+ community colleges.

(A project of the Hewlett Foundation at Foothill-DeAnza College, subsequently merged with MITs Open Courseware Foundation. Hired by / reported to Jacky Hood – September to December 2010)
 * Facilitated stakeholder engagement and outreach and increased membership and participation of community and technical colleges in the CCCOER community
 * Advised and supported Interim Governing Board, program manager and CCCOER contacts on ways and means of improving performance; recruiting quality faculty and internal champions; and recruiting new members.
 * Applied knowledge of OER to mentor stakeholders, faculty and admin staff in use, reuse and impact of of open education texts and content in curricula and program development; as well as change issues resulting from adoption of OERs.
 * Mentored, trained and mobilized internal champions to join the CCCOER network community of support; and in turn, support their peers’ use of OERs within their community and technical colleges (i.e., entire courses, modules, handouts, texts).
 * Conducted face-to-face and online training; delivered OER presentations and to communicate the OER / CCCOER value proposition to multiple audiences
 * Shared knowledge of issues and concepts pertaining to OERs, publication, use / re-use, including IP issues and open licensing options, such as CC-BY, CC-BY-SA.
 * Member of task force to respond to the Obama Administration's 4-Year $2 billion Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training Initiative (TAACCCT) to provide grants to expand job training through local employer partnerships that promotes skills development and employment opportunities in fields such as advanced manufacturing, transportation and health care, as well as science, technology, engineering and math careers through partnerships between training providers and local employers. The U.S. Department of Labor is implementing and administering the program in coordination with the U.S. Department of Education. 2012 See Round 1 Grantees by State.

Project Manager, Partnerships, Organization Development & Capacity-Building, 2009-2011

 * Strategy development and capacity-building support to Director, OER Foundation.
 * Business planning and business case development
 * Developed marketing and communications collateral for member recruitment and retention and strategic partnerships. fundraising campaign and concept for CollabOERate.
 * Facilitating membership development and strategic relationships (i.e., Monterey Institute for Technology and Education; Community College OER Consortium, and Community College Open Textbook Project; Active State, Dell, IBM)
 * Developed change management strategies and performance interventions for capacity-building in 15,000-member community of educators in 120 countries (i.e., WikiEducator.org), in support of organization and program development, outreach/advocacy, fundraising, communications, action learning and performance.
 * Launched Community Engagement wiki for capacity-building for NGOs and not-for-profits. Active in CollabOERate and OERganization Development projects
 * Facilitating cluster development for WikiResearcher.org; Quality4Learning; Community Journalism; Community Service Learning & Community Engagement space on WikiEducator.
 * Coordinated OER Foundation OERF logo development and branding. Recruited volunteer web/graphic designer (Ray Sharma, UK).



Recommendation
"Randy has supported the WikiEducator project and OER Foundation in building an international community of educators working together on a global open education initiative. The phenomenal success of the WikiEducator project is in part due to Randy's superior community building and organisational management skills. Above all, Randy is a man of integrity and responds to the needs of the community helping individuals and organisations successfully achieve their objectives with an intimate understanding of the 'people side' of contemporary online technologies. June 9, 2010 -- Wayne Mackintosh, Ph.D., founder of WikiEducator.org, and director of the Open Education Resources Foundation."

Senior Consultant & Facilitator, 2009-2010
I specialize in OD/Change Management, Stakeholder Engagement & Online Collaboration for Teams, E-Learning / Learning Communities, Collaboration (using ICTs and Social Media) and Project Implementation. My bio & profile.


 * Real Property Institute of Canada, Ottawa, Canada
 * Developed a business plan for an institute of 12,000+ federal real property managers and professionals in the federal government of Canada. Facilitating Virtual Collaboration Using a Wiki with the Board of Directors.


 * Health Canada Sodium Working Group, Ottawa, Canada
 * Gathered and documented business requirements; surveyed and engaged 35 stakeholders representing Canada’s food industry; used iterative, rapid prototyping to align and design real-time and asynchronous workflows; developed learning and navigation tutorials; and provided 7/24 technical support for secure ICT/wiki deployment with IT consultant.


 * Health Canada First Nations and Inuit Health Branch, Ottawa, Canada
 * Facilitation support and report-writing for lessons-learned workshop for public health practitioners responding to H1N1 pandemic.


 * Monterey Institute for Technology and Education, California, USA.
 * Facilitated Virtual Collaboration for leadership team for stakeholder engagement, learning and performance for National Repository of Online Courses (NROC) Network, and blogging support for NROC Advisory Board Meeting (2010), in Monterey, California.


 * One Change, Ottawa, Canada.
 * Change Management / Evaluation consultancy to document requirements and use cases for 2nd generation website integrating social media, user communities and three social responsibility campaigns. Conducted 1-1 and focus group interviews; analyzed and presented results and recommendations.


 * OER Africa (South African Institute of Distance Education (SAIDE), South Africa.
 * Conducted a review for a redesigned website for stakeholder/community engagement, Web 2.0 interactivity and Virtual Collaboration, ease of navigation and general appeal.


 * Commonwealth Youth Programme, Regional Centre for Africa, Lusaka, Zambia
 * Facilitated Virtual Collaboration Using a Wiki for the development of a peace-building social network for African youth (Youth4Peace).
 * Coached a local rapporteur to build organizational capacity. Developed an orientation manual, contributors' guide, reporting guidelines and monitoring and evaluation framework, and 2-day workshop.

The Commonwealth of Learning, Vancouver, BC, 2006-2009
Supported five (5) Education Specialists with change management, online program development, stakeholder engagement, adoption and use and organization development.

(1) WikiEducator.org - Strategist, Facilitator & Community-Builder
(Reporting to Wayne Mackintosh, Ph.D., Education Specialist, E-Learning & ICT Policy, COL)
 * Helped build a community of 18,000 educators in 120 countries
 * Elected Member of WikiEd's 1st Community Council - Randy Fisher's Campaign Page)
 * Change / transition management for Building Sustainable Projects, Communities & Networks.
 * Developed cluster strategy for networking ODL & ICTs for Development and Pilot Projects. Facilitated strategic partnerships.
 * Facilitated development of clusters including: Community Media, WikiGovernance, Open Education for Schools, Culinary Education. Community Service Learning/Community Leadership, Storytelling, Centre of Education for Open Education Professional Development, Corporate Social Responsibility
 * Facilitated Learning communities for Learning4Content initiative funded by the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation.
 * Co-facilitated 10-day L4C online workshops for Mediawiki editing skills. (L4C1, eL4C1, eL4C2-COL-UNESCO Workshop, eL4C12).
 * Co-developed,-revised and facilitated L4C-Advance Workshop (5-day online workshop) with Leigh Blackall, of NZ.
 * Designed community-building activities for FLOSS4Edu workshop in NZ (focusing on wiki-training and Open Educational Resources (OERs).
 * Provided planning support to Heywire8 Conference in NZ.
 * Assisted in developing WikiEducator's Skills Certification Program.
 * Co-developed WikiNeighbour & WikiBuddy concepts & resource pages - with Wayne Mackintosh).
 * Conducted community needs analysis and facilitated community development, wiki-engagement, linkages with strategic partners.
 * Attended the 1st (WikiEducator) Tectonic Shift Think Tank at the Commonwealth of Learning, in Vancouver to discuss the future of WikiEducator and free educational content.
 * Co-developed the WikiPublishing model, Value Proposition, FAQs and Pilot Projects pages.
 * Coordinating global project teams for developing bid proposals for (e.g., participatory learning, community development and community service / leadership, capacity building)
 * Co-developing Open Philanthropy Brief.

(2) Community Media / Community Radio & Public Health (HIV/AIDS)
(Reporting to Ian Pringle, Education Specialist, Media, COL)

'''Organizational and programming development for community media / radio stations and public health communities; facilitating the startup of wiki-related actions as part of COL's capacity building activities for Open Educational Resources in Media for Learning.


 * Facilitated the development of a global Community Media / Radio Community of Practice, including an OER content repository for Workshop Materials & Good Practices, in Media for Learning
 * Provided facilitation and meeting support of a local Media for Learning training workshop in Jeffrey Town, Jamaica. Partners: COL, UNESCO & ICT for Development.
 * Supported the development and planning of a 'pilot' capacity building for 99 women (33 NGOs in Africa) at Radio Mang'elete (Kenya). Partners: ECONEWS Africa, COL, Radio Mang’elete, UNESCO and the Kenya Community Media Network (KCOMNET).
 * Provided workshop support and planning for public health stakeholder workshop at World Association of Community Broadcasters (AMARC) Conference in Ivory Coast, April 27-30, 2009, to develop effective learning programs and good practices for HIV AIDS Treatment Literacy & Community Media/Radio. Partners: COL, International AIDS Society, EcoNews Africa and 8-10 regional partners.
 * Developed and planned a regional facilitators workshop in St. Vincent & the Grenadines and COL-UNESCO workshop in Caribbean - Caribbean Network of Community Multimedia Centres
 * Engaged stakeholders and coached facilitators. Used a Train-the-Trainer approach - 'modelling the way'. Designed and facilitated the development of:
 * An international Community Media Community of Practice (CMCoP), focused on organization development, good practices and effective learning programs.
 * An HIV AIDS Treatment Literacy Portal and LearnShare HIV/AIDS Community of Practice. Partners: COL, International AIDS Society (Switzerland) and ECONEWS, Kenya.
 * An Organization Development Community of Practice
 * Community Media wiki skills elearning course (Learning4Content)
 * Wrote articles for Farm Radio International, TeleCentre News and COL's newsletter, Connections.

(3) Governance and Leadership for Civil Society Organizations
(Reporting to Tanyss Munro, Ph.D., Education Specialist, Governance, COL)


 * Designed in-country governance / leadership workshops and ODL planning sessions (Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands)
 * Co-developed objectives, agenda and design of ODL Think Tank on Governance in London, UK (July 2008), attended by representatives from the World Bank, UN Development Programme (UNDP), Commonwealth Secretariat and Commonwealth Foundation, and regional organisations from developing countries.
 * Stakeholder communications, community facilitation and workshop design, for ODL resources in governance.
 * Developed reporting template for COL's Board of Governors
 * Facilitating WikiGovernance & Learning4Peace project nodes on WikiEducator.
 * Coordinating development of Learning Design Toolkits ~ a joint project of FreeContent4NGOs - for NGO governance
 * Facilitating COLLaGE community discussions on Google Groups (i.e., COL's Leadership, Governance and Empowerment Community.
 * Developing the COLLaGE COLLaGE Community blog
 * Provided needs analysis input to COL-Commonwealth Youth Programme's Governance Social Networking initiative.

(4) Coordinator, Commonwealth Executive MBA / MPA Programmes & Consortium
(Reporting to Willie Clarke-Okah, Ph.D., Education Specialist, Higher Education & Policy Development, COL - from Nov. 2006-Aug. 2008)


 * Coordinating the open and distance learning CEMBA / MPA Programmes in Commonwealth developing countries including Bangladesh, India, Malaysia, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Sri Lanka, Guyana, Ghana & Nigeria).
 * Standardized partner recruitment process
 * Evaluated external consultants for course reviews and revisions; and to prepare Action Plan for converting Print-Content to E-Learning Delivery System
 * Coordinated Executive Governing Board and Academic Board meetings and correspondence.

(5) Tutor (e-Learning), COL's Writing Effectively Programme

 * Tutored UN HIV/AIDS & WHO managers and administrative staff - at a distance - to improve their writing skills, under the COLeIO programme.
 * Developed companion Learner Study Guide on WikiEducator.

Counsellor, Employment & Job Match Programs, 2005-2006

 * Provided vocational counselling, empathy, resume writing, cover letters, behavioural interview strategies.
 * Provided employment support, referral, advocacy, lead-generation and job search techniques for new and recent immigrants.
 * Mentored and coached diverse, multicultural clientele.
 * Developed leads and contacts with employers in high tech, business and nonprofit organizations.
 * Designed and facilitated Canada Workplace Culture workshops and breakfast networking event for business professionals called “Nosh n’ Network”.
 * Designed / launched career-related web blogs to assist job-seekers and case managers.

President & CEO, 1999-2005; 2006-2009; 2011-2012
2011-2013
 * Launched a marketing network of entrepreneurs and business professionals in 10 countries, focused on Internet business, e-marketing, e-learning and monetizing knowledge.
 * Planning support for grassroots community education project in Ottawa (http://ottawa.learnery.org)
 * Marketing support for Ottawa Healthy Living Guide, Cedarview Animal Hospital, ScanGauge (Gifford Automotive), EmpowerME Yoga, Maternity Matters and small and medium-sized businesses

2006-2009

An OD/Change Management practice with expertise in stakeholder engagement, facilitation and collaboration; managing change; and building sustainable communities, networks and alliances.
 * Developed Strategic Action Network (SAN) methodology and organizational strategy to assist client-stakeholders to achieve business objectives. Designed and facilitated BC PowerPeer Network — a supply-chain business development network of 10 alternative energy sector firms.
 * Assessed stakeholder positioning and developed engagement and communication strategies. Defined possible business impacts and cultural changes. Developed strategies and interventions to ease change / transition efforts.
 * Facilitated stakeholders to gain consensus and buy-in; managed change through coaching, workshops, generative dialogue, interviews, feedback, summaries, reviews,
 * University of British Columbia, Learning Exchange (Community Service Learning), Vancouver, BC
 * Leadership coaching and workshop planning for an online web portal / community of practice for project leaders, faculty and students for community service learning and professional development.

2002-2005

''Launched an IT recruitment / placement firm (1999). After the dot-com bust (2001), iCentro retooled focusing on organization management and development, human performance and interpersonal networks. Formed strategic alliances with Futureworks (Seattle); Epsilon Learning & Trottier & Associates (Vancouver).''
 * Developed slate of consulting services (including learning workshops, leadership coaching, needs analysis, surveys, data collections and facilitation) to increase innovation and build collaborative relationships and networks. Based on The iCentro Method POWER Network System™. Designed and facilitated workshops to government, nonprofits and the high tech community.
 * Expert knowledge of strategies and adult learning principles for building rapport and project implementation.
 * Designed team-building workshop for 25 supervisors and case workers in mental health agency (ATCMHMR, Austin, TX)

1999-2001


 * Marketed and provided IT and related recruiting services in Canada and the US.
 * Focused on “reverse-marketing” candidates (i.e., advocating best-fit candidates to employers)
 * Developed and maintained strategic relationship with Microsoft Alumni recruiter.
 * Provided support and coaching to 100+ career transition professionals. Used MBTI and Strong Interest Inventory assessment tools. Conducted pre-screening, candidate assessment, background and reference checks, interview coaching and candidate-employer bridging.

Account Executive, 2005

 * Provided PR / media relations for clients in finance, foodservices and real estate.
 * Positioned and marketed a $15M private Island in Fiji as the “The Ultimate Christmas Gift”.
 * Also secured feature profile in BC Business and media coverage in US.

Program Manager, 2003

 * Launched online auction — fundraising for charity by auctioning off time with executives.
 * Recruited 50+ business execs to raise money their favourite charities. 20+ business associations and media agreed to promote the auction to members.
 * Planned and coordinated ‘Benefit Lunch’ for 40+ execs, sponsors, charities, media personalities and VIPs.
 * Negotiated numerous sponsorships. Managed relationship with PR agency. Wrote and test-marketed all supporting marketing / communications collateral (online, print, electronic)

Team building / communications for Multiactive Technologies e-commerce division.

 * Designed and delivered workshops in teambuilding and project management.
 * Coached a young and diverse team of 25 technical professionals (software engineers, IT / IS and web pros) to gel into a team. Results: The team stayed together for 3 years, and eventually went on to win a Codie Award. (1997)

Project Co-Leader, Branham Group, Ottawa, ON & Miramichi, NB, 1994-1996

 * Conducted market research studies and strategic planning process to support business growth, economic development and cluster formation ~ Branham become a leader in distance learning consulting.
 * Won a $150K contract for a regional economic development strategy in Atlantic Canada (SkyPark Miramichi)
 * Analyzed business case for distance learning consortium based in Ontario.
 * Conducted public consultations for community input and buy-in for regional economic development initiatives.
 * Developed a Strategic Action Plan for an e-learning institute in Miramichi, NB.
 * Conducted market research, interviews and data-gathering for feasibility studies Applied statistical and other research methods into business issues and data analysis (SPSS).

Forintek Canada and Athena Sustainable Materials Institute
(reporting to VP, Jim Dangerfield; associates - Geoff Poapst Consulting, Triumph Communications
 * Researched, designed and developed the first-ever database for Canada’s Top 100 Forest Technology Firms ($1 billion sector).
 * Managed market research studies to determine market, pricing, competitive analysis and distribution channels for new environmental software for green building – and help Forintek commercialize its R&D technologies (Developed messaging and branding and national marketing communications strategy for new environmental software.
 * Coordinated events; meetings with editors and managed national roadshow campaign (Montreal, Toronto, Ottawa, Vancouver). Helped secure $250K in government / stakeholder funding for The Athena Sustainable Materials Institute.

Public Relations, Writing & Communications
Writing and market research for associations, NGO's, associations and the government of Canada, 1990-1996


 * Association of Provincial Organizations (APRO) ~ now Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters Association (reporting to Graham Taylor)
 * Canada Post Speakers Bureau
 * Canadian Advanced Technology Association (CATA Alliance) - (reporting to John Reid)
 * Environment Canada;
 * House of Commons Public Information Office (reporting to Susan Wright)
 * Developed copy for House of Commons Gift Catalogue


 * Industry Canada
 * Labarge Weinstein (reporting to Debbie Weinstein)
 * Telecommunications Research Institute of Ontario / Knowledge Connection Corporation / Ottawa Carleton Research Institute (OCR) (reporting to Jim McPherson)
 * National Capital Commission (reporting to Richard Landis)
 * National Research Council
 * Natural Resources Canada
 * Pre-competitive Applied Research Network (PRECARN) & Institute for Robotics and Intelligent Systems (IRIS) (reporting to Carol Rochefort)
 * Generated $150K+ in local and national publicity for Conference on Intelligent Systems and Robotics.
 * Developed and executed a media relations plan that demystified Artificial Intelligence and key players.

1993 - Communications Officer, Pubic Service Commission / Training & Development Canada (reporting to Guy D'Amour) 1992 - Director, Communications, Public Policy Forum, Ottawa (reporting to Geoff Poapst) 1992 - Communications Officer, Bell-Northern Research (Northern Telecom), (reporting to John Hewer) Ottawa 1991-1992 - Advertising / Copywriter, Minto Developments, Ottawa (reporting to Robert Greenberg)

Journalist, Business & High Tech, 1987-1991

 * The Globe and Mail (Report on Business), Ottawa
 * The Financial Post, Montreal
 * CBC Radio (CBO) Morning, Ottawa
 * The Ottawa Citizen, Copy Editor
 * Truck Fleet (Maclean Hunter)

My Education: Degrees

 * MA, Organization Management and Development, Fielding Graduate University, California
 * Thesis: Primal Needs Gone Digital: Educators' Motivations in an Open Wiki Environment, 2009


 * BJ (Journalism), post-graduate degree, University of King's College, Halifax, 1987
 * BA (Political Science), McGill University, Montreal, 1985

Diplomas

 * 2007 - BC Instructor Diploma Program, Train-the-Trainer, Vancouver Community College, (Recognized by the BC Ministry of Advanced Education)
 * 1996 - Certified Advanced Technology Manager Program, CATA Alliance and Newbridge Networks (LearnSoft), Ottawa

Certifications

 * 2013 - Project Management Professional (PMP) - planned
 * 2012 - Yoga Teacher Certification (200 hours), Ottawa, Canada
 * 2001 - The Birkman Method
 * 2000 - Strong Interest Inventory
 * 1999 - Myers-Briggs Type Inventory

Coaching & Mentoring

 * 2014 - Fundraising - Association of Fundraising Professionals, Ottawa
 * 2004 - Mentoring - Group Dynamics and Facilitation, Trottier & Associates, Vancouver

Courses

 * 2011 - LEED Green Associate (LEED-GA), Canada Green Building Council, Ottawa, Canada
 * 2010 - Leading Change and Transition, Intersol Group, Ottawa, Canada
 * 2010 - Advanced Course in Group Facilitation, Intesol Group, Ottawa, Canada
 * 2009 - Foundation Course in Group Facilitation, Intersol Group, Ottawa, Canada
 * 2006 - Courses (3) in Counselling Certificate program, Vancouver Community College

R&D

 * Developing process for Agile Community Engagement and Social Learning
 * Customising action research model for continuous professional development (elearning) (w/Gurmit Singh)

Publications (articles)
 2013
 * Learn Experientially and Connect Globally with MOOCs, in EduTech Debate, a World Bank and UNESCO publication. (See: https://edutechdebate.org/massive-open-online-courses/learn-experientially-and-connect-globally-with-moocs/)
 * Blog post republished on ICTC website, April 2013.
 * Blog post referred to in ICDE Newsletter, April 2013.

 2011
 * Project Management Skills for All Careers – Wrote Chapter 12 on Intercultural Communications, 2011 Project Management Skills for All Careers – Chapter on Culture Change (open textbook - CC-BY). Complimented by original author, Merrie Barron.

2009


 * MA thesis: Primal Needs Gone Digital: Educators' Motivations in an Open Wiki Environment. Fielding Graduate University, April 2009.

2008


 * Wrote Primal Needs Gone Digital: Educators' Motivations in Collaborative Wiki Spaces, a first-stage Masters Project paper (CC-BY-SA on WikiEducator), December 2008
 * Wrote Complexity Theory as Leadership Toolkit for Organizational Management - "Bridging the Digital Divide: Universal Access to Education, an article for MA coursework.

2007


 * "Mergers & Acquisitions: Are You Ready", cover story in PeopleTalk Winter 2007 issue, BC Human Resources Management Association, (pp. 12-20)
 * "Climate Change: Opportunities for Exporters" (working title), for Export Development Canada
 * Profile: Student Services Evaluation Coordinator, in Outlook, for CGA-BC Outlook
 * Profile: Teldon Media / Printing, in Outlook, for CGA-BC

2006


 * "From 50 lb. laptops to PDA's: Computer User Group Still Going Strong After 20 Years", BC Certified General Accountants association, Vancouver
 * "Enterprise Rent-A-Car is a Company on the Move", BC-Certified General Accountants association, in Outlook, Vancouver
 * Profile: Canada Export Centre, in ExportWise, for Export Development Canada

1999


 * Cracking the New E-conomy", Washington Software Alliance Wrote articles on information-gathering, research and team-building. Also interviewed Seattle-area high tech entrepreneurs.

Presentations
2010 


 * Emceed CCCOER 4th Quarter Meeting (Recording Archive), California, December 2010
 * Community College Consortium for OER (CCCOER) Quarterly Meeting (featuring Martha Kanter), March 2010
 * See slides and sound archive


 * Mobiles and Learning: A Review of Education Projects and Applications, at Monterey Institute, NROC Network Advisory Board meeting, in Monterey, California, March 2010.

2009
 * California Community Colleges - WikiEducator: Building Sustainable Projects & Communities, October 15, 2009.
 * Open Education Conference UBC - August 12-14, 2009
 * Virtual Fieldtrip of WikiEducator, August 10, 2009, to BC Campus Online Communities (based on CP square approach).

2008


 * Digital Information Literacy & WikiEducator: Just Try It!, Otago Polytechnic, NZ, June 24, 2008. (see prep questions)


 * Open Source Geospatial Foundation, BC Chapter, Sierra Systems, Vancouver, Canada, July 22, 2008.

2007


 * Submitted proposal (accepted in 2008) The 5th Pan-Commonwealth Forum on Open Learning (PCF5 is jointly organized by University of London & The Commonwealth of Learning), July 2008, London, UK. See: Accelerating Community/NGO Engagement for ODL Resource Development (Governance).


 * The Pan-Commonwealth Forum on Open Learning has grown to become one of the world’s leading conferences on learning and global development. PCF5 in London will explore how open and distance learning can help achieve international development goals and education for all. The conference theme is "Access to Learning for Development" with a focus on children and young people, health, livelihoods, social justice, conflict and governance.

2004


 * Increasing Collaboration: Network Organizations and Horizontality, by Randy Fisher and Patrick Trottier, iCentro Corporation. Presented at Riding the Winds of Change, Pacific Management Community Council, Burnaby, BC November 23-24, 2004.


 * The iCentro Method: Building Powerful Relationships and Networks, Fraser Valley Technology Network, and New Media Boot Camp (NewMedia BC and National Research Council).

2003
 * Trends and Opportunities in the IT industry, Vancouver Educational & Career Fair.

2002
 * Vancouver Career & Education Fair - Speaker/Presenter, Vancouver, 2002
 * Unlocking Your Future: Strategies & Tactics - The IT Industry: Trends and Opportunities, Project Management & Job Search Techniques. Presented at JobShop/Sprott Shaw Community College, Surrey Central City, BC.
 * JobSearch Clinic for Graduate Students, Advanced Systems Institute and Simon Fraser University, 2002
 * HRDC Job Seminars, Teamwork, MBTI and IT sector job search strategies, 2002

Theories / Approaches I Enjoy...

 * Abilene Paradox (Thanks Jonathan Walker, Austin, TX)
 * Action Learning (Reg Revans)
 * Adult Education (Knowles, and Bloom's Taxonomy of Learning)
 * Appreciative Inquiry / Strength-Based Approaches
 * Bloom's Taxonomy of Learning
 * Collaborative Transformation
 * Communities of Practice (Etienne Wenger)
 * Core Group Theory (Art Kleiner)
 * Complexity and Self-Organization (Wheatley, Stacey, Cilliers)
 * Metaphors: Organizations as Brains, Political Systems, Flux & Transformation, Psychic Prisons (Morgan)
 * Strategic Foresight
 * Transitions, Development and Renewal (William Bridges)

Professional Organizations

 * Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP), Ottawa
 * BC Human Resources Management Association (BCHRMA)
 * BC Organizational Development Network (BCODN)
 * Organizational Development Network (OD Network)
 * Project Management International

Other

 * Member, Outcome Mapping, IDRC
 * Bernese Mountain Dogs
 * Attended "Radical Inclusion Real-Time Annual Unconference June 5, 2010 "Making the most of collaborative worlds", 2010

Community Service

 * Ottawa Learnery, Founder & Co-Director, Developing community learning project for accessible and affordable continuing education (launching Spring 2013)
 * Open Doors Group / College Open Textbooks, Senior Manager, Knowledge Management & Communities
 * Tap-a-PM, California. Member, Growth-oriented Project Manager Group.
 * Your Credit Union, Ottawa. Member, Advisory Committee, 2010-2012
 * Commputers for Communities, OD/Community Development, Ottawa, 2010 (see C4C Appeal (September 2010)
 * Ottawa Chinese Community Service Centre, Nepean Library, Facilitator, ESL Conversation, 2010
 * Nova Scotia Gambia Association's, Advisor, West Africa community radio station (ICT & Media)
 * FolkJam Ottawa, 2010
 * WikiEducator.org, Member, Governing Council, 2008
 * Amarok Society, Vancouver, 2008. Special Advisor to the Board
 * Supported the transition from family legacy project to a more structured organization. Responsibilities: Board development, stakeholder engagement and transition coaching.


 * Fielding Graduate University, Developed two Fieldkits (Resources) MA, organization management and development program, 2007
 * St. Paul Hospital- Healthy Heart Resource Centre, Vancouver, 2006
 * Vancouver Downtown Jewish Community, Steering Committee, 2005-2006
 * Launched and produced monthly music and cultural showcase called Simcha Live! As producer and emcee, I managed team of 2 direct reports and 5 indirect reports. Recruited 25+ performers in 8 months. Developed blogs and executed email marketing campaigns.


 * Randy Gives Back, 2005
 * Vancouver Board of Trade, Leaders of Tomorrow Program (Mentor), 2004-2005
 * Washington Software Alliance, Seattle, 2000
 * Lead interviewer: “Cracking the New E-conomy: Business Tools for Entrepreneurs, 2000.


 * Softworld, (BCTIA, ITAC), Marketing Committee, Vancouver, 1998 (worked with Kathy Troupe, executive director, AceTech)
 * Ottawa Distance Learning Group, Acting Director, 1997

My Abilities

 * Strategic thinker, and able to operationalize / implement the vision
 * Strong analytical, investigative and synthesizing skills
 * Able to bridge business and technology (ICT) worlds - excellent communication skills especially with technical folks!
 * Able to increase stakeholder engagement, buy-in, collaboration, ICT usage/adoption, and ramp up performance in teams, communities, and strategic partnerships
 * excellent facilitation skills and community-building expertise
 * skilled at mentoring others and community development - online and face-to-face
 * works well with diverse, multicultural employees
 * designs and develops education / ODL / e-learning materials, communities - F2F or distributed/virtual environments, in Canada and internationally

My Music

 * My Music

Cooperatives

 * Computers for Communities, Ottawa
 * WikiEducator & OER Foundation, NZ
 * Contributor, Marketing Association for Credit Unions, LinkedIn Group

My Perspective

 * Always be aware of the human factor in technology / community creation.
 * Make sure the technologies/technologists serve the users. Use every opportunity to engage others, and learn individually and collectively.
 * Know your stakeholders well, and their interests.
 * Communicate effectively, by multiple means at varying frequencies within the group and externally.
 * Wikis are a paradigm-shift - and also represent a power-shift: Remember that fear and anxiety are ever-present - before we ever started talking about MediaWiki / Wikieducator!
 * Give laggards (or perceived laggards) an opportunity to participate at their level.
 * Respond to feedback.
 * KISS..and...keep our eyes on the prize ~ individually and writ-large (i.e., Millenium Development Goals).
 * Exercise self-reflection
 * Try to find the humour / enjoy the laughter!

My Interests
(OD, Performance Management & Evaluation)


 * Human Systems
 * Complex Change Management (including M&As)
 * Collaborative Transformation
 * Employee / Multi-Stakeholder Engagement
 * Evaluation
 * Research, Evaluation & Followup
 * Performance Planning & Enhancement
 * Workforce - transitions, departures, knowledge transfer / management
 * Leadership Coaching
 * Scalable and Sustainable Project Implementation
 * Online Collaboration & Mentoring
 * 10 Global Trends in ICT & Education (2010)
 * Bill Gates Annual Letter (2010)
 * OMD for Open Educational Resources

Specifically...

 * Evaluating, aligning and leveraging organizational processes, dynamics, history and culture and opportunities for movement and sustainable change
 * Creating strategies for engaging stakeholders based on strengths, challenges, interests, motivations, resources and relationships;
 * Supporting organizational change (including large-scale change such as Mergers & Acquisitions), and business process improvement efforts - for measurable results;
 * Developing strategies for building rapport, facilitating sustainable groups, communities, clusters, networks and alliances using collaborative technologies

Selected Projects

 * WikiEducator - Developed a sustainable community-building strategy for a global e-learning community. Facilitating cluster development, relationship-building and partnering in 53 Commonwealth countries.
 * WikiGovernance/COLLaGE - Developing project node on WikiEducator for e-learning related to governance. Coordinating development of Instructional Design for Governance Toolkit. Designing online conversation cafe for opinion leaders in NGOs to share ideas and insights re: governance in the developing world.
 * A strategic action plan and public consultations for a community college to develop an e-learning institute — identifying and qualifying 50+ strategic partners in all aspect of curriculum design and delivery.
 * An economic development plan to attract knowledge-based industries to a remote community;
 * Market research to identify and qualify buyer behaviour and strategic partner opportunities for e-learning for major manufacturers of telecommunications equipment. (also developed business case for new e-learning consortium);
 * Feasibility studies for the launch and marketing of new environmental assessment software; and competitiveness for a research and development lab in the forestry sector;
 * A supply-chain business development network for alternate energy companies seeking opportunities in Asia and South America;
 * Workshop design and delivery for associations, government and corporate sector, including high-tech.

Anagrams

 * Randy Fisher
 * Wikieducator

Resources

 * Create an Institutional OER Portal Page
 * OER Benefits Comparison