Megan Zara, M.Ed., Literacy & Learning, Texas Woman’s University, OEN Certificate in Open Librarianship (2024), THECB OER Fellowship (Year 2, 2025–2026), Certified Educator, Texas Education Agency

Megan Zara (she/her) is the Founder and Open Practice Strategist behind The Open Practice Academy, where she helps educators, libraries, community colleges, small programs, and mission-driven teams build good things without burning themselves down to do it. A former Open Education Librarian at the University of Texas at Arlington, middle school English teacher, and digital learning specialist, Megan brings more than a decade of experience in K–12, higher education, instructional design, professional learning, and systems-level change. Her work centers on humanizing open practice through care, belonging, co-creation, accessibility, and story-driven leadership. As a 2025–2026 THECB OER Fellow, OEN-trained open librarian, and PhD student in Leadership and Change, she explores how open education can become more sustainable, relational, and shared across roles and institutions.