The 2022-2023 academic year has been one to remember for Dr. Toni Pirtle. As a professor and researcher, she has achieved great success and made significant contributions to her field. Throughout the year, Dr. Pirtle has attended several global metaverse conferences and Virtual Reality trainings and has received numerous accolades for bringing virtual reality to educators.  This past year, she has worked with several global companies and presented her findings at conferences including CCCAOE, CAEP, and the Community College Presidents Institute.  She has also been a guest speaker on Virtual Reality at the Bakersfield Community College District.  This semester, following Speaking at the Global VR in Education Forum, with the presentation “Bringing VR to the Community College Classroom, Dr. Pirtle became a member of the VR/AR Association Education Committee. 

In addition to her research, Dr. Pirtle has also excelled in the classroom this semester, having gratefully received support from Administration in bringing several headset opportunities to her face-to-face Social Media class.  Her students consistently give her praise for her engaging teaching style and her ability to make the complex concepts of working in the virtual arena understandable. Dr. Pirtle has also taken on leadership roles beyond her Department and has continued to serve as a Lead and committee member.

A most notable achievement is that Dr. Pirtle has served on the CCA Board of Directors as the Women’s Issues Director (North) in an Interim capacity, and in April was elected at the Spring CCA Conference to serve a new 2-year term, continuing her role to support and advocate for women in higher education.

Despite the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Pirtle has remained committed to her work and her students. She has continued to make progress on her research projects.  As the academic year ends, Dr. Pirtle can look back with pride on all that she has accomplished. Her hard work and passion for her field have paid off in countless ways, and she is excited to continue making a difference in the years to come.