Mark Butland is the new director of the Iowa EdTech Collaborative according to a release from the Iowa City Area Development Group.
In this position, Mr. Butland will lead the execution of the Iowa EdTech Collaborative strategy; connecting ecosystem organizations and companies, enhancing the piloting and demonstration environment for edtech in Iowa, improving the entrepreneurial ecosystem, and creating and encouraging workforce development activities.
Mr. Butland has extensive experience in the areas of education and educational technology according to a release. Before moving to Iowa City to serve as the Dean of Kirkwood Community Colleges’ Iowa City campus he served as an award-winning Professor and Faculty Senate President at Austin Community College. During his time in Austin, he pioneered a distance learning hybrid format for delivering communication courses online and facilitated and led large-scale change initiatives. Additionally, Mr. Butland’s service through the Higher Education Research and Development Institute (HERDI) has helped increase market presence for EdTech companies while connecting education leaders with innovations.
“One of my greatest passions is bringing people together and connecting them to opportunities. Leading the Iowa EdTech Collaborative will be an opportunity to think big, make meaningful connections, and drive impactful change in classrooms across the United States while growing our local and state economy,” said Mark Butland, Incoming Director for the Iowa EdTech Collaborative.
“With extensive leadership experience in higher education and a proven track record of leading large scale initiatives, Dr. Butland is a perfect choice for the Iowa EdTech Collaborative Director role. I am excited to support Mark and the ICAD team as we advance the education technology sector and build a robust state-wide edtech ecosystem,” said Ada Woo, Ascend Learning, Member of Iowa Innovation Council.
“Mark’s leadership experiences at Kirkwood and Austin Community Colleges paired with his passion for bringing people together and his demonstrated ability to be innovative and forward-thinking is a perfect match for the Director role. We’re excited to have someone with his past experiences in education, EdTech, and entrepreneurial collaboration leading this initiative,” said Kate Moreland, president of ICAD.
