Dr. Dianne Conrad is the Director, Centre for Learning Accreditation at Athabasca University, which is very active in PLAR. In addition to her program development and supervisory responsibilities with regard to the PLAR program, Dr. Conrad has maintained an active research career, with many peer-reviewed publications and presentations to her credit. In 2009, she received a SSHRC grant to conduct research on PLAR in Canada and New Zealand. She has been an adult and distance educator for over 25 years and is a strong advocate for adult learning.