Trudi Radtke was an Open Education Project Manager at SPARC from January-June 2022. In this role, they spearheaded advocacy and implementation for initiatives to make education more open and equitable. Their portfolio included InclusiveAccess.org, an initiative to raise awareness about the challenges of automatic textbook billing. Trudi also contributed across SPARC’s open education policy and advocacy efforts.
Trudi’s background is in education technology, online education, and open educational resources at community colleges. Over the last four years, they have worked at and provided counsel for a variety of community colleges, mainly Title V institutions in the California Desert. As an OER specialist and consultant, they have worked to create, remix, and revise over 100 OER textbooks for the California community college system and beyond. In their most recent role as an education technology specialist, they sought to bring equitable, cutting-edge education technology solutions to Imperial Valley College, a border school that primarily serves first-generation college students.
Trudi’s advocacy work has primarily involved helping colleges create sustainable and equitable OER materials for students. When not speaking on the technical side of OER, Trudi speaks on the critical role that OER and open practices play in shaping an equitable and inclusive learning environment. As a keynote panelist for OE Global 2019, Trudi advocated for bringing students themselves into the OER creation process. In 2021, Trudi was selected as a research fellow for the California Alliance for Open Education..
Trudi’s commitment to open is motivated by personal as well as professional experience. As a low-income, first-generation college student, they have firsthand experience with not being able to afford college textbooks.
Trudi has a BA in American history and religion from the Master’s University and a MA in American history from California State University, Northridge.
When not advocating for open, they enjoy surfing, biking, rock climbing, hiking, and being outside.
Trudi is based in Los Angeles, California.
