Dr. Dan Keast is a leader in higher education and researcher of engagement in online teaching. Dan presents his research and innovations to a variety of disciplines in secondary and higher education. The link between his research and teaching is obvious as he continually adapts his courses and constructivist teaching methods to new media, student needs, and innovative pedagogy. Keast won the University's nomination for the Regents' Teaching Award in 2014 and the 2015 nomination for the Piper Professor due to his teaching accomplishments, reputation as an online educator, and caring mentor to his students, faculty, and alumni.Keast was recruited by UTPB to re-start the Music Program in the fall of 2004. He is a diamond-certified online educator by The University of Texas System, a master reviewer for Quality Matters, and Professor and Chair of the Music Department. Dan has written many grants netting over a million dollars of external funding for Music at UTPB, and reviews grants for the US Department of Labor and HP Catalyst Programs. Keast is an avid supporter of the arts by serving as a member on the Board of Directors for the West Texas Jazz Society. As a music education researcher, his research interests include teaching and scaffolding activities to boost engagement in online learning environments. He has fifteen publications including book chapters, peer-reviewed research journal articles, invited columns, videos from Magna Publications, plus digital creations in Second Life & the Apple App Store. Dan speaks regularly about his research in online learning, grant writing and donor engagement, and leadership challenges for higher education administrators. Please contact me if you are interested in learning more about how I can help your organization!Dr.Keast92@gmail.com