Dr. Mary
Cobzaru

About Me

Educator. Innovator.
Change-Maker.

With a Doctor of Education in Curriculum and Instruction from Liberty University and more than 20 years of experience spanning K–12 classrooms, virtual school leadership, higher education, and corporate learning environments, I bring both scholarly grounding and practical expertise to every project I take on. My work sits at the intersection of instructional design, educator development, and emerging technology, and I am committed to designing learning experiences that are rigorous, relevant, and genuinely useful.

For nearly a decade at Connections Education (Pearson), I taught virtually, managed and mentored teaching teams, and served as one of two organization-wide AI Ambassadors, supporting educators across the organization in integrating AI tools into their practice. I designed professional development, coached teachers one-on-one, conducted formal evaluations, and contributed to building a learning culture grounded in trust, clarity, and high expectations. My doctoral dissertation grew directly from that work: a focused investigation into the barriers teachers face when implementing AI tools, and evidence-based recommendations for improving that process.

My approach to adult learning is rooted in respect for the learner's expertise and time. I design training that is applicable, creative, and immediately usable, because I believe professional development should feel like an investment, not an obligation. Whether I am facilitating a virtual workshop, supervising doctoral research, or building an online course from the ground up, I bring the same care and precision to the work.

My background also includes a fluency in Romanian, developed during two years of Peace Corps service in rural Moldova, where I supervised local educators, designed curriculum, and authored a physical education manual officially adopted by Moldovan schools. My family and I are avid world travelers, and that cross-cultural perspective shapes how I think about communication, context, and the diversity of learners I serve.

I hold valid teaching certifications in North Carolina and South Carolina, a Master's Certificate in Instructional Design from NC State University, and a Master of Education in STEM from the University of Maryland Baltimore County. I am also a certified Exercise Physiologist and a former National Science Foundation Fellow. These credentials, alongside two decades of real classroom and organizational experience, reflect a career built on continuous learning and sustained impact.