It’s never easy to say goodbye to someone who has been such a steady and inspiring presence in our community. After almost 15 years of dedicated service, Dr. Cable Green, our Director of Open Education, will be moving on from Creative Commons (CC).
Education is Hope. By Cable Green at the United Nations. CC BY 4.0
During his tenure at CC, Cable served as Interim CEO, Director of Open Knowledge, and later returned to his original and most enduring passion – leading CC’s global efforts in open education. For many in both the open education sector and the CC community, Cable needs no introduction. His leadership, vision, and passion for access to knowledge have left an indelible mark on CC and the broader open movement.
A tireless advocate for barrier-free access to information, Cable has been a leading voice on open education worldwide – delivering dozens of keynotes, presentations, and workshops that have inspired educators, policymakers, and learners alike. He is equally celebrated as a generous mentor, offering thoughtful feedback and guidance on open education initiatives across the globe. While his contributions are too numerous to list, one thing is certain: Cable’s unwavering belief in the power of openness to solve the world’s greatest challenges has created lasting, real-world impact.
Over the years, Cable has helped craft numerous government, foundation, and university policies that ensure publicly funded educational resources are freely and openly available to all. Among many examples, he supported the U.S. Department of Labor and 800 community colleges in developing open educational resources (OER) through the Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training program.
Cable also co-created cornerstone CC initiatives including the Open Course Library, CC Certificate, CC Consulting Program, Open Education Platform, Institute for Open Leadership, Open Climate Campaign, Open Climate Data Project, and Open Preprints Project – collectively helping raise over $12 million to advance CC’s mission.
A respected collaborator and coalition builder, Cable has worked with partners worldwide to shape the UNESCO Recommendations on OER and Open Science, the Digital Public Goods Standard, Open Up Resources, and the Network of Open Organizations.
“It has been a genuine honor to work alongside an amazing CC team, our global partners, and the open education community to identify complex problems where education is a critical part of the solution, and then opening that knowledge to help solve the problem. Together we’ve saved students billions of dollars, empowered teachers and learners through open pedagogies, and expanded access to education around the world,” shared Cable.
“On behalf of the entire CC community, I want to thank Cable for his dedication to advancing CC’s mission through the power of open education. I count myself among the many colleagues who have had the privilege of learning from his expertise. It’s not often we can so clearly see the global change one person has helped create, but Cable’s legacy in open education is both tangible and enduring,” says Anna Tumadóttir, CEO of Creative Commons.
Please join us in wishing Cable farewell! Thankfully, as Cable departs for his next adventure, this isn’t goodbye. He will join the CC Advisory Council and be available to CC as needed. To stay connected, you can find him on LinkedIn.
Posted 22 October 2025