Two Wayne State University employees are being recognized as thought leaders in educational technology. Southfield's Geralyn Stephens, an associate professor of education, and Grosse Pointe Wood's Kristine Putnam, a lead applications tech analyst in Computing and Information Technology, have been named members of the Blackboard MVP Program. Blackboard is a leading developer of education software.

MVPs are users who stand out as an expert in Blackboard technologies, share their expertise with other clients, demonstrate leadership in the education technology community, and actively share feedback with Blackboard. While the MVP program will be peer-nominated in the future, the class of 12 was selected by Blackboard.

"Having one Blackboard MVP is an honor, but having two of our Blackboard power-users selected is truly indicative of our strong Blackboard community said Wayne State Chief Information Officer and Associate Vice President of Computing & Information Technology Joe Sawasky. "Kristine and Geralyn have worked tirelessly to support Wayne State's growing online learning programs. The fact that both a faculty member and a technology professional received the award demonstrates the high level of collaboration present on our campus."

MVPs will have exclusive access to professional development trainings and will be invited to private product briefings and roadmap sessions with Blackboard executives. MVPs will continue to share their expertise through personal blogs, social media, virtual office hours and more.

Wayne State University is a premier urban research institution offering more than 370 academic programs through 13 schools and colleges to nearly 28,000 students.