Professor Dr. Don Olcott, Jr., FRSA, former President and Chairman of the Board of the United States Distance Learning Association (USDLA) and EDEN Digital Learning Europe Senior Fellow has been selected as the recipient of the 2024 USDLA Outstanding Leadership Award in higher education for his long-term contributions and leadership in open, online and distance learning. 

Don served on the USDLA Board of Directors from 2001 – 2016, facilitated USDLA collaboration with EDEN Digital Learning Europe, and with his Board colleagues created USDLA’s first national conference and inaugural National Distance Learning Week in 2007. Don is also former Chair of the EDEN Council of Fellows and a Senior Fellow with EDEN Digital Learning Europe. He was the 2023 recipient of the International Council for Open and Distance Learning (ICDE) Prize of Excellence for Lifelong Contributions to global open, online, and distance learning. 

Don is currently President of HJ Associates in Romania and is a consultant associate with Universal Learning Services (ULS) in Barcelona, Spain. He is Professor Extraordinarius at the University of South Africa in leadership and open and distance education. Don’s international contributions have included major leadership, faculty, and administrative posts in Australia, the U.S., Germany, Romania, South Africa, the United Arab Emirates, and the United Kingdom. He previously held full professor appointments at Charles Sturt University in Australia; the University of Maryland Global Campus (UMGC) in the U.S. and honorary professor at the University of New England (Australia).