David Ernst, Chief Information Officer

David Ernst is graduate faculty and the Chief Information Officer in the College of Education and Human Development at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. He brings his extensive background in education (14 years teaching, PhD in Learning Technologies, …) to his role. His passion lies in innovations that help faculty teach and students learn.

David is the Director of the Center for Open Education and Executive Director of the Open Textbook Network (OTN). The OTN is an alliance of higher education institutions committed to improving access, affordability, and academic success through the use of open textbooks. David created and manages the Open Textbook Library – a single source for faculty to find quality openly licensed textbooks. David and his colleagues are often invited to other institutions interested in starting their own open textbook initiative on campus.

David is also a team leader and board member for Global Citizens Network (GCN) – a non-profit that works to promote peace, justice and respect through cross-cultural understanding and global cooperation. As a team leader, David brings teams of volunteers to live and work with indigenous peoples around the world. He has traveled to Nepal, Tanzania, Peru, and Thailand with GCN.