Ohio’s Schools and Districts Can Now Access Supports, Services, and Resources from RemotEDx
[Columbus, OH, November 2020—] The RemotEDx Exchange, a fundamental component of Ohio’s RemotEDx initiative, is now live. Through the Exchange, powered by INFOhio, K-12 parents and educators have easy access to all the supports, services, and resources available through RemotEDx. This includes assistance from the Connectivity Champions, powered by the Management Council, and from the Support Squad Concierge Team offered by Ohio’s Educational Service Centers.RemotEDx is a new $15 million suite of remote education supports for schools funded by the Ohio Department of Education CARES Act state activity funds. Many organizations are working together to make each component of RemotEDx a reality: the Ohio Department of Education, Philanthropy Ohio, the Ohio Distance Learning Association, Ohio’s Educational Service Centers, INFOhio, Ohio’s Information Technology Centers, and the Management Council.
The Exchange showcases high-quality, remote education tools and platforms, standards-aligned instructional materials and curricula, use-case scenarios and exemplars, and professional learning supports for remote, hybrid, and blended learning environments. Consistent with Each Child, Our Future, Ohio’s strategic plan for education, RemotEDx places a premium on equity and seeks to support Ohio’s most underserved students. Resources included on the Exchange will meet a set of quality criteria and are available to schools, districts, and parents at little to no cost.
“Students, teachers, administrators, and parents need one place to access all of the resources and support provided by the RemotEDx initiative,” said Geoff Andrews, Management Council Chief Executive Officer. “The RemotEDx Exchange brings all the components together in a central location enabling every learner, teacher, and leader in Ohio to effectively teach and learn remotely.”
Through RemotEDx, INFOhio is expanding functionality and features in curriculum tools like Open Space and Educator Tools. Additional tools and high-quality, instructional materials that support teaching and learning in remote, hybrid, and blended learning environments will be curated, purchased, or licensed and then added to the Exchange throughout the year.
INFOhio, Ohio’s PreK-12 digital library, is a division of the Management Council whose mission is to make a difference in the lives of Ohio’s learners, teachers, and leaders by connecting Information Technology Centers, securing data, optimizing technologies, and empowering education in Ohio.
Chad Carson, a 1994 graduate of Ohio University Athens in computer science, has spent the last twenty-nine years serving the Ohio Education Computer Network. Chad began his career at the LACA ITC in 1994, immediately after college. Originally hired to support Student Services, Chad advanced to systems manager, then served as LACA’s director of technology from 2001-2017. Chad was the executive director of LACA for four years prior to joining the MCOECN in the fall of 2021 as the manager of the MCOECN Data Center Operations team. In his current role, Chad is primarily responsible for the overall operation of the MCOECN server, network, and storage infrastructure, and continuously focuses his technical skills on enhancing, optimizing, and improving delivery of hosted services to MCOECN’s customers.
Joe spent 29 years in public education as a teacher, coach, assistant principal, principal, assistant superintendent, and superintendent. He started his career in Grove City, Pennsylvania as a teacher and coach and finished in Ellwood City, Pennsylvania in the superintendent role. During his time as an administrator, Joe was focused on innovative ways to deliver instruction, both in the classroom and through technology. He led Ellwood City in their 1:1 laptop adoption for students and changing instruction to both direct instruction and using Google Classroom as a learning management system. He also was integral in bringing a 3-12 STEM program to the district.
Geoff has served as CEO of the Management Council since 2015, leading the mission and strategic plan for the Council and growing the organization that connects, optimizes, secures and empowers academic and administrative systems that support every learner, teacher and leader in Ohio. He is responsible for the array of work done by the Management Council on behalf of the Ohio Department of Education and Ohio’s 18 Information Technology Centers.
Jessica began her career in higher education working for the Art Institute of Ohio – Cincinnati, Kaplan College, and the Everest Institute before discovering that the public sector was her passion. She left the realm of higher education to pursue a non-profit career with the Griffith Foundation before securing a position with the Ohio Educational Service Center Association as Program Manager for Membership & Special projects.
Melissa began her career as a district technology coordinator and computer application/business teacher and during that time was fortunate to develop a wonderful relationship with her district’s Information Technology Center (ITC). While at the district, she led the implementation of OhioSchoolNet and Raising the Bar technology initiatives. In the mid 2010s, she transitioned from the district to an ITC, which introduced her to the Management Council and many of the programs that they support state-wide.
Erica came to INFOhio in the early 2010s with more than 10 years’ experience, including as an early childhood teacher and elementary music teacher. Prior to her role as an INFOhio ILibrarian, now known as Instructional Specialist, she worked for two collegiate universities, one as the Humanities Librarian and the other as Library Director. In her role with INFOhio, Erica evaluated and selected digital tools and resources aligned with Ohio Learning Standards, and supported integration of those tools and resources into classroom instruction. She also collected, analyzed, and shared INFOhio usage data to inform instructional design, and wrote for INFOhio’s social media, blog, and news. She earned a BA in English and Music and a Master of Humanities from Wright State University, and a Master of Library Science from Indiana University.
Matt Calmes serves as the Director of State Software Development. Matt has been with the State Software Development Team since the early 2000s. In his current role, he leads and manages the teams that develop and support the various products in the SSDT’s portfolio. He has a passion for technology and solving hard problems that provide benefit to Ohio’s educational community and the students they serve. 
Greg Buddelmeyer serves as the Chief Financial Officer for the Management Council. He joined the Management Council staff in the mid 2010s. Greg began his career with the Ohio Auditor of State’s Office as an Assistant Auditor, working on audits of Ohio government entities. In the early 1990s, he accepted his first school district treasurer position with Liberty-Benton Local School District. He also spent time as the school treasurer for Defiance City School District and Shawnee Local School District. He eventually moved to The University of Findlay as the Financial Director for Projects and Grants, overseeing the financial operations of The All Hazards Training Center and university grant programs.
As Director of Customer Services and Support, Bill Young is the chief evangelist for excellent customer experiences across the Ohio Education Computer Network (OECN). Bill manages customer support teams that are dedicated to delivering timely and knowledgeable support for major K-12 programs and applications used by teachers and leaders across Ohio. Teams deliver support via a live-chat, a statewide call center, email, and responsive self-help web sites.
Scott Gaughan serves as the Director of Network Services. He currently focuses on network related initiatives, information security, video conferencing, and collaborative purchasing agreements. He joined the Management Council in the early 2010s after spending 30 years in state government, including Ohio DAS/OIT, Ohio SchoolNet and eTech Ohio. 
Ryan has committed his career to serving the K12 education community in Ohio. Starting out in serving INFOhio at a regional Information Technology Center in the 1990s, he quickly adapted to the changing needs of the ITC and became their lead systems administrator. When given the opportunity in the mid 2000s, he came to the Management Council to initiate the first disaster recovery services. Since then and through leading many diverse initiatives, Ryan has developed into a talented technologist who focuses on aligning technology needs and educational outcomes.