Recognized as an Open Education Policy and Systems Leader
From the nominator:
Dr. Jonathan Lashley deserves recognition because he has helped make open education operational: governed through policy, sustained through community, measured through outcomes, and carried forward by leaders he mentors. His record connects Clemson Online, Idaho, the Online Learning Consortium (OLC), and the broader field through systems that help people adopt, adapt, and sustain open practice. In Idaho, he cultivated Open Practitioners, Advocates, and Leaders (OPAL) from a 2017 community into statewide infrastructure for access and affordability planning, Project Z-Degree pathways, Pressbooks, faculty support, reporting, and student savings. By 2025, Project Z-Degree generated over $1.65 million in savings and saved students more than $2 for every $1 invested by the state. His mentorship built a leadership pipeline, with OPAL colleagues moving into larger roles beyond Idaho. Beyond Idaho, Jonathan trained faculty through the Open Education Network, served OLC in partnerships and leadership development, co-created an open digital-learning change framework, and co-edited OER: A Field Guide for Academic Librarians.
Dr. Jonathan Lashley demonstrates that lasting progress in Open Education comes not only from creating open resources, but from building the policies, partnerships, and sustainable systems that empower others to lead meaningful change.
Award Reviewer
Jonathan Lashley’s work shows what happens when open education is treated as a lasting public system rather than a collection of isolated projects. He has connected community, policy, funding and leadership in a way that others can genuinely learn from and adapt.
Award Reviewer
Learn More
- Follow on LinkedIn
- OER: A Field Guide for Librarians (Open Textbook Library)
- Making the Case for Open Education: Community and Policy (Open-Ed Mic Podcast, University of Central Florida)
