Institute Faculty
Tawnya Means
Assistant Dean, Gies College of Business, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Tawnya Means is a visionary leader in educational innovation at the Gies College of Business, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. As the Assistant Dean, she spearheads initiatives to integrate cutting-edge pedagogy and technology, ensuring the college remains at the forefront of academic excellence. Her previous roles include serving as the Assistant Dean and Director of the Teaching and Learning Center at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and the Director of the Teaching and Learning Center at the Warrington College of Business, University of Florida. There, she led faculty development programs and championed instructional innovation and pedagogical best practices. With over two decades of experience in higher education, course design, and educational consulting, Dr. Means has also taught courses in entrepreneurship, strategy, technology, and leadership in remote teams. Her academic journey is marked by a B.S. in Education, an M.S. in Educational Technology, and a Ph.D. in Information Science and Learning Technologies, focusing on learning systems design—all from the University of Missouri. She further honed her expertise by completing the AACSB Post-doctoral bridge program in Management and Entrepreneurship at the University of Florida.
Areas of Expertise
- Active learning
- Faculty development
- Learning space design
- Online and blended learning
- Widening access to digital learning resources