Bethany Weigele

Bethany Weigele, as the Chief Innovation Officer at EdPlus at Arizona State University, provides leadership support through planning and directing EdPlus efforts related to innovation and emerging initiatives. This includes: (1) advancing innovative ideas into executable projects and ensuring their execution; (2) designing grant proposals and forming teams related to and focused on innovations that will lead to student success; and (3) as appropriate, developing internal talent for innovation designed to secure, mentor and evolve new EdPlus leaders and additional EdPlus funding. For example, she designs and leads educational technology projects in partnership with global change-making entities such as The Mastercard Foundation who seek to digitally connect the global network of Scholars that hail from Sub-Saharan Africa as well as the Abdulla Al Ghurair Foundation for Education who aim to prepare Arab youth for college and career particularly in STEM fields with the Young Thinkers Program. Both platforms facilitate knowledge exchange, cultivate soft skill development and provide resources that enable future lifelong learners to propel themselves into their careers and contribute to their communities. Bethany began her ASU career as a University Innovation Fellow in the Office of University Initiatives. The Phoenix native earned a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from Trinity University in San Antonio and a Ph.D. in Molecular Microbiology from The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas. In a fast-paced and ever-changing world in which knowledge can be outdated before it is published, Bethany empowers students to achieve their dreams and become lifelong learners who are adaptable and full of grit.