Annie Hale

Dr. Annie Hale is the Executive Director of Action Lab at EdPlus, Arizona State University. Action Lab is a data-driven, research-focused service organization—an impact hub—that supports ASU and EdPlus initiatives by equipping leaders with the insights and analyses they need to make informed, evidence-based decisions. Action Lab drives transformational change in education through data and research, focusing on learner behaviors and the factors that drive success. Our goal is to improve access and achievement, while bolstering the development of quality education for all learners. For more than ten years at ASU, she has created and taught undergraduate and graduate courses, executed large-scale research projects, and supported co-developed university-wide solutions with actionable and operational insights. As an engaged, civically-minded transformational catalyst, Annie aims to re-conceptualize and expand higher education's evolving social contract with society.

Annie's portfolio targets university-wide solutions that foster student success through research, evaluation, leadership, and innovative learning and digital teaching models to reduce barriers to achievement in higher education. Annie provides organizational leadership to ensure projects move seamlessly between phases and teams. Working with a broad array of researchers and analysts who embody various expertise, Annie networks interdisciplinary teams to create co-informed, data-driven insights that shape the world around us. From a management perspective, Annie is a strong coalition-builder who aims to readily remove barriers to sharing information and ideas. From a development perspective, Annie co-develops and supports meticulously curated high-quality learning content that is aesthetically appealing, engaging, researchable, and deliberately enhances inclusive excellence and accessibility to a broad audience through the principle of "elegantly-designed experiences." Student success, retention, inclusion, and accessibility for all learners are motivating factors that span all areas of her portfolio.

Annie's scholarly research spans various topics, including education for sustainability (EfS), science and technology studies (STS), innovative technologies to improve learning experiences, design from a human-centered approach, and transformations in higher education. Annie's research agenda is intentionally connected to her current projects and morphs as she takes on new endeavors. Annie takes on research questions and protocols that seek to "co-inform" data insights from a qualitative and quantitative mixed-methodical perspective, always working collaboratively to execute research. 

Annie has over a decade of experience securing grants and philanthropic funding to advance these projects and research. Before coming to EdPlus in the Fall of 2021, she worked at ASU's Biodesign Insitute for Nobel Laureate Lee Hartwell, Ph.D., for 12 years. Annie still actively collaborates with Lee. Before coming to ASU, Annie worked in the field of architecture as a designer for five years at the influential architecture studio Skidmore, Owings, & Merrill. She is LEED-certified and is a certified Lean Six Sigma Green Belt from Purdue.