Dr. Allison Rief is an Associate Professor and Department Chair in the School of General Studies at the University of Arizona Global Campus. Allison earned a Doctorate of Education with a specialization in Teacher Education in Multicultural Societies from the University of Southern California, a Master of Education from the University of California Los Angeles, and a Bachelor of Arts in Literatures in English at the University of California San Diego.  Dr. Rief began her career as an elementary and preschool teacher.  She maintains a National Board Certification and was awarded the Teacher of the Year for both the Los Angeles Unified School District and Los Angeles County.  Within higher education, she has had experience launching new programs and revising existing programs, developing courses, providing professional development, and working with collaborative teams across the university.  Currently, Dr. Rief is a member of the Change Advisory Group, Student Conduct and Community Standards Committee, Forbes Center for Women’s Leadership, and oversees the partnership with No Excuses University schools.  Beyond the programs she leads, she also serves on Doctoral committees and teaches the Doctoral In-Residence.  Dr. Rief’s research interests include virtual professional learning communities, collaborative and reciprocal relationships with online associate faculty, course design with intentional scaffolding within online learning, and the effects of how flexibility and care impact student learning.