11© The Author(s) 2019
K. S. Wolfe et al. (eds.), Developing Educational Technology at an Urban
Community College, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-17038-7_2
CHAPTER 2
Leading Above the Fray: Turning
Challenges into Opportunities
Carlos Guevara
I recently read these words of wisdom—“Bridging the gap between what is
happening and what is possible is what change management is all about”
(Pascale & Sternin, 2005). From the very beginning, I’ve always considered
it my responsibility to be a connector—someone who builds bridges
between parts of an organization and between people, between now and the
future we collectively can imagine. I remember the day I accepted my first
professional position in educational technology at Hostos like it was yester-
day. The year was 2002, and I was a newly minted computer science gradu-
ate full of enthusiasm and ready to take on the world, and, at the same time,
full of the trepidation and uncertainty about embarking on a new career. It
was a new position in a then-emerging field called Instructional Design. In
those days, there were no standards or best practices for instructional design-
ers, and even educational technologists weren’t always in agreement about
our roles and responsibilities. As I was leaving the office of the director of
the Office of Educational Technology, my new boss and former teacher, I
ran into one of my new colleagues, an experienced instructor and media
C. Guevara (*)
Division of Academic Affairs, Hostos Community College, CUNY,
Bronx, NY, USA
e-mail:
[email protected]