Designing Learning Experiences That Connect, Inspire, and Transform
Hi, I'm Jacquie Gardy—an instructional designer, editor, and learning strategist with a deep commitment to equity, access, and learner-centered design. Over the past 15+ years, I’ve collaborated with educators, change-makers, and mission-driven organizations across more than 125 countries to create inclusive learning experiences that spark transformation.
My work spans global education initiatives, virtual exchange programs, and strategic professional learning. I’ve designed multimedia resources downloaded over 1.5 million times and produced hundreds of impactful events for educators and learners. Whether I’m leading a design sprint, refining a manuscript, or facilitating a high-energy workshop, I bring a human-centered lens and a strong editorial eye to every project.
I started my journey in Maryland classrooms and grew into global roles—from teaching in Serbia to leading virtual learning efforts at the U.S. Department of State. Today, I consult with organizations and individuals that want to reimagine professional learning, build inclusive digital programs, and navigate the intersection of future skills, equity, and EdTech.
Editing is at the heart of my practice. I work with authors, researchers, and experts to shape compelling narratives and synthesize complex ideas. I’m currently editing a book for an AI education thought leader and love turning big concepts into clear, accessible stories that resonate.
I'm a certified ISTE Educator and Community Leader, sit on the SXSW EDU Advisory Board, and serve as a board member with K12Leaders. I was honored with the 2024 Innovative Leader Award by Tech & Learning and selected as part of the 2025 LeveragED Collective—both affirmations of my passion for shaping what's next in education.
This work is personal. As someone who reimagined her own educational path, I believe deeply in meeting learners where they are and designing experiences that reflect their potential—not just their past. I’m here to create spaces that inspire clarity, courage, and connection.
Where Literacy Meets Imagination: Designing Strategies, Comics, and Exchanges That Inspire Global Learning
My most recent project was being the creative editor for Critical Creativity in Action, a flexible collection of literacy strategies designed to help EFL teachers add opportunities for creative thinking to their classrooms. Presented as a deck of 50 cards, these strategies are being implemented in virtual exchanges and learning opportunities around the world. My prior release, Panels and Perspectives: Creating Comics in the English as a Foreign Language Classroom, alongside writer Dan Ryder and illustrator Josh Alves, provides instructional guidelines to creating comics for educators of all English language learners. Presented in comic book format, Panels and Perspectives includes insights, strategies, and practical applications for making comics in any American English classroom to improve both language skills and critical thinking abilities. This book is being used in conjunction with several virtual exchanges, connecting teachers and students worldwide in the creation of comics for storytelling, empathy, and problem solving.
I’ve had many experiences living and working in multiple countries as part of my career at the Department of State and through personal travel, including Ireland, Serbia, Estonia, Indonesia, Korea, China, South Africa, Russia, and Central America. In addition, I’ve has taught in many settings, including urban public schools, community college and adult education, and foreign universities. I’ve spoken locally in the Washington, DC area, as well as across the country and world on topics in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages, comic books for teaching and learning, Computer Assisted Language Learning, and Public Diplomacy, at SXSWEDU, ISTE, Comic-Con International, TESOL, MassCue, and NCTE. I’ve also conducted trainings to foreign service officers worldwide on Public Diplomacy and English language education.
