Dr. Marla Cartwright

Director

Columbia State Community College

Dr. Marla Cartwright's career in higher education spans over 30 years, where she has served as English department faculty member, writing center director, Center for Teaching and Learning director, composition department assistant chair, and chair of learning support for a range of institutions including public 4-year, public 2-year, and for-profit 4-year colleges. She has extensive experience in online teaching and course development with research interests in concepts of Sense of Community and Instructor Presence in the online classroom, including Tennessee Board of Regents Student Engagement, Retention, and Success grant work within these areas. In addition, she has extensive experience presenting on-ground and online, including presenting for the American Association of Community Colleges, the Online Learning Consortium, the Higher Learning Commission, the League for Innovations Conference, the TBR, and the National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development. Currently, Marla is the Dean of Academic Engagement & Innovation, managing distance education, media services, two tutoring centers and the Center for Teaching and Learning.