Dr. Delphina (Del) Hopkins-Gillispie is devoted to enhancing quality at all levels of education, as a dedicated professional, and educational administrator with over three decades of experience in middle school through the graduate level.

Dr. Gillispie has worked with The Connecting Link (TCL) for over a decade, as director of the TCL program at one of the partner universities developing and teaching on-line courses. She holds masters of science degree in biological sciences and pathology, teaching license in the science field (middle and secondary education), and a Ph.D. in Curriculum & Instruction. Dr. Gillispie believes teachers/instructors should connect and relate to students while making learning authentic. It is critical that students get excited and engaged in the learning process. In addition, Dr. Gillispie believes that classrooms should be inclusive of all students, learning about their backgrounds, culture, similarities as well as differences, as both teachers and students work collaboratively and cooperatively as a team.