Our Mission

Rebecca Gidjunis serves as assistant provost at Eastern University. She has spent most of her life here, first as an undergraduate student, then as an admissions counselor, and then as a professor in the English Department and Director of CTLT. Her poetry and creative nonfiction work has been published widely, and she is managing editor of Saturnalia Books. She has been nominated for two Pushcart Prizes and is the recipient of an Academy of American Poets award. She is a huge fan of innovative technology and...llamas.

Emily Lichius (she/her) is a 2025 Eastern University alum who graduated with a B.A. in English Creative Writing. She serves as the Executive Assistant to Rebecca Gidjunis and CTLT and helps to create an organized, hospitable environment within Eastern. As a student she acted as the Inklings Literary Magazine Editor-in-Chief, an Assistant Resident Director, Editorial Managing Editor for the Waltonian, and a Writing Assistant. Now in her free time, Emily writes on Substack, assists independent publishers, and watches a lot of movies.

An Eastern University alum, Nicole Markert (pronouns: she/they) graduated in 2020 with a B.A. in English Writing and Literature. In 2023, they earned their MFA in Creative Writing and an M.A. in Publishing from Rosemont College. Her thesis and capstone projects consisted of the completion of her first poetry manuscript, as well as an extensive research project on the current manga market in the United States and the incorporation of comics/manga into pedagogy. She strives to create a seamless experience for students on the administrative side of operations, but also aims to create a welcoming environment for incoming students in her own classroom. They teach and advise for COMM-235 (College Newspaper Practicum), ENGL-102 (College Writing) and INST-150 (Intro into Faith, Reason, and Justice). She also does curriculum building and planning for First-Year Programming and serves as a flex program advisor for online undergraduate Education programs. Their poetry has been published in various magazines and literary journals including Moon City Review, Tinderbox Poetry Journal, and others. When she is not writing, she is most likely petting her two cats named after Greek gods, Athena and Iris, and reading manga in the moonlight. She is also a lover of all things pink.

Sue Yavor is a graduate of Eastern University. She has worked as a Computer Programmer, Business Analyst and as a Computer Programming Instructor for 15 years before coming to Eastern as the Assistant Brightspace Administrator. She enjoys leading training seminars and working one on one with faculty to help them learn new ways to incorporate technology into their courses. When she is not at work, she is involved with the activities of her three kids. She is a Boy Scout leader, Venture Crew Advisor and Robotics Coach. When the family can find some free time, she enjoys camping and traveling with her husband and kids. During the summer of 2014 they completed a goal of visiting each of the 48 contiguous states.

Monica Martinez graduated from Eastern University in 2020 with a degree in Business and earned a master’s degree in Business Technology and Analytics from St. Joseph's University in 2022. With a strong foundation in marketing, customer insights, and analytics, she developed a passion for using data to drive decision-making. In her current role, Monica balances analytical work with student-facing responsibilities, aiming to create data-driven solutions that improve the student experience. Her passion for technology and customer service helps her translate complex technical processes into user-friendly solutions. When not working, she enjoys traveling with loved ones and meeting new furry friends for her pet care business.

Eugene Slason earned his doctoral degree in education researching the impact of game-based learning on motivation and engagement. Prior to working at Eastern, he served as mathematics faculty and the quantitative reasoning coordinator at Regis College. At Eastern he is helping faculty take their courses, programs, and assignments to the next level based on insightful statistics and quality feedback. Being a strong proponent of game-based learning means that, when he is not working, he is playing; with a wide selection of tabletop games, he can be found racing through jungle temples, exploring haunted houses, or foiling plans for global domination all while sitting at a table with his friends.

Laura earned her MS in Data Science in March 2023 and went on to work in academic quality for the Data Science programs, supporting curriculum development and program improvement. She now leads initiatives in AI integration and process innovation. From 2015 to 2020, she served with Youth With a Mission in the Himalayas, where she and her husband ran two small businesses focused on village tourism and sustainable agriculture. In 2020, they relocated to the U.S. and now live in Minnesota with their two daughters. In her free time, you’ll usually find Laura reading sci-fi or fantasy, and she’s always open to book recommendations!

Alexa Temparali is working towards her Doctorate of Education in Adult Learning and Development. She holds a Master of Science in Learning Technologies from Drexel University. Prior to joining the team at CTLT, she worked as a special education teacher. At the beginning of the pandemic, Alexa worked as a remote course facilitator, supporting Drexel’s faculty in moving their in-person instruction online. At work, Alexa is passionate about using technology to make content accessible for all learners. Alexa has a love for all things nerdy, including Dungeons and Dragons and superhero movies. She has a wonderful cat at home named Roasty, and will happily talk about her to anyone who will listen.

Kyle Logan graduated from Baylor University with a B.S in Biology in 2017, from there he began work as a teacher at Lamar CISD in Houston, Texas where he spent the majority of his time as an Engineering Teacher. COVID-19 had a pretty dramatic impact on staffing/responsibilities at most schools and his was no exception as he quickly moved from a junior to lead role within his department. As the Engineering Lead at his school, Kyle was responsible for curriculum development, program alignment, team management, and a host of extracurriculuar activities. Most of these extracurriculars fell under the Technology Student Association umbrella, in which his students competed from the regional to national levels (earning first place in the nation in Architecture and Geospatial science). Through all of this Kyle managed to also complete his Master's in Education Administration at the University of Houston-Victoria. Kyle currently holds a position at Eastern University's CTLT and primarily is responsible for the organization and production of instructional videos. He seeks to create a space where his team is accountable and heard, and one in which students can thrive with the best resources his team can provide. At home Kyle enjoys cooking, strategy games, and competitive card gaming.

An Eastern University alum, Erin Mendoza-Laude graduated in 2021 with a B.A. in English Writing and Literature. After working in the Center for Teaching, Learning and Technology as a student worker, Erin found her passion for instructional design and earned an M.S. in Instructional Technology from Lehigh University. She strives to create engaging online courses for students, and loves learning about new technologies and opportunities that can help personalize the online learning experience. In her free time, Erin enjoys learning new skills that allow her to express her creativity, such as sewing, crocheting, writing, photography, and web design.

Danielle believes in the power of the red pen to take things from good to great. She graduated from Eastern University in 2024 with a B.A. in Communication Studies and now works in the Center for Teaching and Learning Technology as a Learning Experience Designer. In her time as a student she was Editor-in-Chief of Inklings Literary Magazine and a leader and advocate for Refuge. Now, as a member of staff, she is committed to creating a positive learning environment enriched with all the educational tools a student could need. In her free time, Danielle enjoys writing poetry, playing Dungeons & Dragons, revelling in all things pink, and failing dramatically at playing metroidvanias.