Sally M. Johnstone is vice president for academic affairs at Winona State University and former executive director of WCET, the Cooperative advancing the effective use of technology in higher education. In that capacity she worked with institutions, states, and provinces on planning and policies for the integration of technology into the academic structures of higher education institutions and systems. She also leads workshops and gives about a dozen invited addresses each year to higher education organizations throughout the world. Dr. Johnstone has authored dozens of articles, book chapters, and major reports on open and distributed learning; served on the governing boards of both higher education associations and institutions; and currently serves on the editorial boards of several academic journals. She was a faculty member and an academic administrator after earning her Ph.D. in experimental psychology from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill.

WCET is a member ship organization of 275 member located in more than 45 U.S. states and 7 countries. WCET member are primarily public colleges and universities but also conclude private institutions, government agencies, and corporations. The WCET staff develops research projects that focus on integrating technology into the teaching and learning processes, consults with higher education institutions, holds professional development conferences for practitioners, and generally supports WCET members in the planning and implementation of e-learning. WCET was founded in 1989 by the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE).