TJ Bliss, Ph.D., is a passionate, trustworthy, and effective professional with a proven record of intuitive and insightful higher education and public leadership. He fosters collaboration, fiscal responsibility, and inclusive problem solving by building deep relationships of trust to achieve outcomes, create a positive culture, and lead people toward a collective vision. In addition to his role as Associate Commissioner for Academic Affairs at the Office of the Commissioner of Higher Education, Bliss is a clinical assistant professor in Education Leadership at the University of Idaho. He was formerly the chief academic officer for the Idaho State Board of Education, chief advancement officer at the Wiki Education Foundation, education program officer at the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, and director of assessment and accountability at the Idaho Department of Education. Through these senior leadership roles, he has worked to increase access, affordability, and success for students at the international, national, state, and institutional levels, across higher education and K-12.
Bliss is an internationally recognized researcher who has published numerous articles in the field of Open Educational Resources (OER). He co-developed the COUP (Costs, Outcomes, Uses, and Perceptions) research framework, which has become foundational in open education research throughout the world. He was also directly involved in the development of the UNESCO Recommendation on OER and participates in national and international efforts to implement the actions adopted through this high-level policy instrument. Bliss has extensive experience in higher education and nonprofit leadership, particularly at the state and system levels. He served on the Executive Committee of the Western Academic Leadership Forum and currently serves on the national Alumni Board of Brigham Young University.
