Paul Stacey

Recognized as a Visionary Open Education Leader and Strategist

This Special Award honors Paul Stacey’s contribution to Open Education Global as it’s Executive Director 2018-2002 leading the evolution from the Open Education Consortium and crafting the organization’s current strategic plan.

From the nominator:

Few people have shaped open education across as many fronts as Paul Stacey: a founding member of BCcampus, architect of open business-model thinking at Creative Commons (co-author of Made With Creative Commons), a contributor to the 2019 UNESCO OER Recommendation, and former Executive Director of Open Education Global. Now an independent consultant, he still mentors the movement with a “culture of care.” His 40-year arc is, in many ways, open education’s institutional memory.

More details from the nomination

Paul Stacey’s career reflects many years of leadership in building the policies, communities, and partnerships that have helped open education grow into a global movement. Not many people could claim a bigger impact on open education’s history.
Awards Reviewer

Paul Stacey left a lasting impression as a visionary strategist and caring leader who consistently turns big ideas into practical, human-centered infrastructure for the open education movement. He deserves recognition by Open Education Global because his work has helped define and sustain the movement across multiple sectors, from national policy and open licensing to global recommendations and grassroots mentorship.

What has caught my attention is the breadth and continuity of his impact, from early online learning initiatives to global open education policy and the intellectual and cultural layers of the movement.
The rating scales do not fully capture his role as institutional memory and movement architect, whose work has helped the open education community become more coherent, connected, and resilient over time.
Awards Reviewer