About Us
Lauren Barbeau, Ph.D.
Lauren is passionate about enhancing the value for and quality of teaching. As the co-author of Critical Teaching Behaviors (2023) and the forthcoming book Peer Observation Made Practical for Higher Education (2027), Lauren advocates for academic culture shifts that better identify, foster, evaluate, and reward effective teaching.
An internationally sought speaker and consultant in higher education, Lauren helps institutions develop contextually relevant definitions of teaching excellence, establish peer observation programs that support faculty growth, and redesign student feedback instruments to collect meaningful input on teaching. On an individual level, her work empowers faculty to claim agency in telling their teaching stories. She actively shares her own stories as a growing academic on LinkedIn and was named one of the Top 50 Voices to Follow in Higher Education in 2026 by Vevox.
Lauren earned her Ph.D. in English from Washington University in St. Louis. She has taught writing, literature, and pedagogy courses at the community college and university level since 2011. In 2013, she began a part-time career in educational development as a graduate student. Since then, Lauren has served as a Faculty Developer at Georgia Southern University and the Assistant Director of SoTL and Faculty Development at the University of Georgia. She currently serves as the Assistant Director of Learning and Technology Initiatives in the Center for Teaching and Learning at Georgia Tech.
Claudia Cornejo Happel, Ph.D.
Claudia Cornejo Happel, Ph.D., Ed.S., is dedicated to fostering collaborative teaching communities that empower educators and elevate student success. As Director of the Center for Teaching and Learning Excellence at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, she leads strategic initiatives that promote evidence-based practices, pedagogical innovation, and meaningful approaches to assessing teaching. Her research focuses on peer observation, midterm feedback, and documenting instructional effectiveness across the faculty career span. Claudia is co-author of Critical Teaching Behaviors: Defining, Documenting, and Discussing Good Teaching and the forthcoming Peer Observation Made Practical in Higher Education, both of which offer practical frameworks to help institutions recognize and support effective teaching. With a Ph.D. in Spanish and an Ed.S. in Instructional Technology, she brings a cross-disciplinary perspective to her work with faculty, teaching centers, and institutions nationwide, grounded in the belief that good teaching deserves to be seen, supported, and celebrated.