Dr. Lori Weider has been appointed the new executive director of the Center for Education Innovation (CEI) at Friends Academy.

Weider brings nearly twenty years of experience in urban education to the five-year-old center, whose mission is to offer 21st century technologies and teacher training to the New Bedford school system.

Weider succeeds Benjamin Parsons, PhD, who has served as Executive Director since 2013. Parsons, who helped launch CEI partnerships with Campbell, Lincoln, Hathaway and Pacheco elementary schools, is leaving to assume the Head of School position at Thomas Jefferson Independent Day School in Joplin, Missouri.

The Center was founded by longtime Friends Academy teacher and administrator Katherine Gaudet, and initially financed with a grant from the Merck family. Currently, CEI works to provide New Bedford's elementary school teachers with the expertise they need to build problem solving, critical thinking and synthesizing skills to promote their students’ academic success.

Weider holds an Ed.D. from Northeastern University, a Master's Degree in Curriculum and Instructional Technology from Framingham State College, and an undergraduate degree from the University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth. In 2014, she published a book titled "Engage Students with Online Publishing and Audience to Improve Writing: Incorporating Authentic Audience, Social Learning and Sociocultural Learning Theories."

She has conducted numerous professional development workshops as a UMass Dartmouth faculty member and is a two-time Intel master teacher. Dr.Weider has led IT implementation programs across K-12 content areas and has facilitated online learning collaborations with classrooms around the world. She assumes the position of executive director after having worked with the CEI as a technology integration specialist for the 2014-2015 academic year.

"Lori is known for her ability to make technology accessible to teachers and students, her willingness to listen to teachers' needs, and her unyielding commitment to New Bedford Public Schools," said Parsons. "In her new role, she will be a great asset to the CEI and to the teachers and students of New Bedford."