Anthony Piña has taught at the middle school and high school levels, at community colleges and at public and private universities in three states. He is currently an administrator in the Center for Teaching and Learning at Northeastern Illinois University. Tony has served as a professional consultant to Fortune 500 corporations, small businesses, economic development agencies, local government agencies, federal government agencies, colleges and universities, K-12 schools and a university consortium.
Tony's professional interests include instructional technology, distance learning, non-traditional educational programs, home schooling, charter schools and education reform. He has
20 years experience in the field of instructional technology and has served as President of the Community College Association for Instruction and Technology and Vice President of Cahuilla Computer Using Educators, Inc.
In 2005, Tony was elected President of the Division of Distance Learning of the
Association for Educational Communications and Technology, the major
professional organization in his field. He is serving a three-year term as
President-Elect, president and Past-President from 2005 to 2008. Tony has delivered
over 90 invited presentations at professional conferences, given over 200 technology
workshops and has several publications. Tony serves on the editorial board
on the Quarterly Review of Distance Education, a refereed scholarly journal. He has received national awards
from the Educational Communications and Technology Foundation, the Division of
Instructional Development and the Association for Educational Communications and
Technology. Tony is listed in Who’s Who in American Education and was one of the first recipients of a Microsoft Mentorship award
for professional development.
Tony was born and raised in Southern California. His father, who was born in Puerto Rico, had a long career in law enforcement, including the distinction of being California's first Puerto Rican police chief. Tony's mother was a health care professional and Past President of the California Medical Assistants Association.
Upon graduation from high school, Tony contemplated a career in music, but chose instead to serve a two-year volunteer mission for his church in Chile, South America. Upon returning to the U.S., Tony enrolled part-time in college and served full-time as a crime prevention/community service officer for the Fresno County Sheriff's Department. He designed and taught educational programs, worked with civic organizations and schools and ran a community service center.
Feeling the desire to complete his education, Tony left the Sheriff's Department and enrolled at Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, where he completed Associate, Bachelor's and Masters degrees
while working and teaching in the BYU College of Education. At BYU, Tony was introduced to the field of instructional technology, which has been his career since 1987.
1987 is also the year that Tony married Teresa. They are the proud parents of four daughters:
Heather, Kellie, Lisa and Emily. After leaving Utah, the Piñas lived in Arizona for three years, while Tony pursued doctoral studies at Arizona State University,
worked as an instructional designer at Intel Corporation, taught at Rio Salado College
and provided educational counseling for retiring Armed forces personnel. An opportunity in 1993 to serve as full-time faculty and Coordinator of Educational Technology at College of the Desert, Palm Desert, CA interrupted his studies, which were later completed at La Sierra University in California. In 1995, Tony also began teaching as a lecturer in instructional technology at the Palm Desert Campus of California State University, San Bernardino.
After more than seven years at College of the Desert, where Tony supervised five areas of the college (technology training/development, media services, faculty resource center, staff development office and college website), Teresa decided that it was time for Tony to finish the doctorate. After considering several doctoral programs in California, Tony found the right fit at La Sierra University (formerly a campus of Loma Linda University) which allowed him to combine his interest in technology with training in
organizational leadership studies. His
doctoral dissertation focused upon how distance learning becomes institutionalized within educational organizations. While engaged in doctoral studies, Tony was on the faculty at Cal State San Bernardino, Rosalyn School
and at La Sierra University.
In 2004, Tony accepted a full-time administrative position as Coordinator of Learning Technologies at Northeastern Illinois University, Chicago, IL. In this capacity, Tony
is helping to develop the university's online distance learning program and furthering the university's goals in the integration of technology throughout the campus.
He teaches in Department of Educational Leadership and Development at
Northeastern and continues to teach online courses for La Sierra University and
provide coordination for the online M.A. program in Educational Technology.
In 2006, the Piña's lives were blessed by the addition of 6 year-old Serena and
her 3 year-old brother Alex to the family.
Tony is an avid guitarist, with several acoustic and electric guitars, two bass guitars, a banjo, a mandolin and a drum set. He is active in his church and enjoys reading, music and activities with his family.
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