Leadership
IDD is led by a team that spans instructional strategy, course development, academic technology, media, and operations. Each role carries distinct ownership across the work IDD does, and together they ensure that course development at Excelsior is cohesive, standards-driven, and aligned with institutional priorities.
Executive Director, Instructional Design and Development
The Executive Director operates at the intersection of academic strategy and instructional practice. As a member of the Provost team, this role translates institutional priorities—program expansion, new modalities, transformational partnerships—into course development systems and models that can scale. The role also serves as the institutional authority on course design, representing IDD in governance discussions and academic policy, and building the partnerships with academic leadership that make effective course development possible.
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Ben Saxon
Ben Saxon is a content design and development leader with nearly 25 years of experience in the educational content space. Ben began his career with a 10-year tenure as a multimedia developer and instructional designer at an online, for-profit university. He spent the next 10 years in textbook publishing as…
Senior Director, Instructional Design and Development
The Senior Director owns the core course development function—the day-to-day and long-term operation of the teams and systems that build and maintain Excelsior’s courses. The Senior Director is accountable for execution: ensuring that teams are working effectively, that standards are being applied consistently, and that course development keeps pace with institutional priorities.
The Senior Director also serves as the escalation point for complex course development challenges, partners with academic leadership to align delivery expectations, and leads the continuous improvement work that keeps Excelsior’s course design practices current.
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Alisha Blanchard
Alisha is an experienced leader in instructional design and curriculum development with 20 years of expertise spanning higher education, corporate, and creative sectors. Known for building and managing high-performing teams of instructional designers and instructional technologists, Alisha excels at launching new initiatives, establishing standards, streamlining processes, and developing comprehensive documentation.
Director of Academic Technology
The Director of Academic Technology is responsible for Excelsior’s learning management system and the broader ecosystem of academic technologies that support teaching and learning. This role oversees the day-to-day administration of Canvas and Concourse, manages third-party integrations, and ensures that the course environment works reliably for students and faculty across every term.
The Director of Academic Technology also leads the evaluation and implementation of new academic technologies, serves as the primary point of contact for LMS-related issues and emergencies, and partners with ITS and academic leadership to ensure the technology infrastructure supports Excelsior’s instructional goals.
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Tina Perfetti
Tina Perfetti has been with Excelsior University since January 2008, holding various roles centered around the Learning Management System (LMS). Since 2015, she has served as an LMS administrator and has played a key role in two major LMS migrations: from WebCT to Blackboard and from Blackboard to the current…
Director of Media Services
The Director of Media Services leads the strategy, design, and development of custom academic media and interactive learning experiences across Excelsior’s courses. This role ensures that every media asset and interactive developed by IDD is high quality, accessible, grounded in user experience, visual design, and interaction design best practices, and directly aligned with instructional goals.
Beyond production, the Director of Media Services establishes the visual, interaction, and user experience standards that shape how course pages, media assets, and interactive learning experiences are designed and function across the institution.
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Patrick Wirth
Patrick leads the Media Services team, a group dedicated to producing award-winning digital media that informs, engages, and inspires. Together, they bring complex ideas to life through captivating illustrations, animations, and videos that create a lasting impact. With a keen interest in the psychology of web interactions, Patrick is passionate…
Director of Operations
The Director of Operations keeps IDD’s work moving. This role owns the systems, workflows, and processes that coordinate course development across the unit—from project intake and scheduling through delivery. The Director of Operations ensures that development projects are planned against institutional priorities, that timelines are realistic and tracked, and that risks are identified and addressed before they become problems.