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On the Road to Improving the Credentialing Ecosystem:

Next Steps in the Credential Registry

September 19, 2016

Speaker Biographies

Sharon Boivin, Ph.D. Facilitator

Dr. Sharon Boivin, a senior advisor in the Sample Surveys Division of the National Center for

Education Statistics (NCES), served for the past 9 years as chair of the Interagency Working Group

on Expanded Measures of Enrollment and Attainment (GEMEnA). During this time, she focused on

assessing the current state of federal statistical data on the preparation and credentialing of

adults for work and on initiating projects to fill data gaps in that area. To accomplish this goal,

GEMEnA developed and validated federal survey items on the prevalence and characteristics of

non-degree credentials (including certifications, licenses, and certificates) among the U.S. adult

population. New survey items have now been incorporated into major federal surveys including

the Survey of Income and Program Participation, the National Survey of College Graduates, the

Current Population Survey, and NCES’s own Adult Training and Education Survey. Taken together,

these new data sources provide a comprehensive national picture of U.S. adults with certifications

and licenses. Boivin began her career at NCES in 1987 and later spent 9 years in the private sector

before returning to federal service in 2008. Her Ph.D. in educational research is from the

University of Virginia.

Molly Corbett Broad Panelist

A leading spokesperson for American higher education, Dr. Molly Corbett Broad became the

twelfth president of the American Council on Education (ACE) in 2008. She is the first woman to

lead the organization since its founding in 1918. Broad came to ACE from the University of North

Carolina (UNC), where she served as president from 1997-2006, leading UNC through a period of

unprecedented enrollment growth. Due in large part to the success of the Focused Growth

Initiative, minority enrollment at UNC grew at more than double the rate of the overall student

body during her tenure. She also spearheaded the creation of a need-based financial aid program

for in-state undergraduates and the creation of the College Foundation of North Carolina. Broad

held a number of administrative and executive positions at several universities prior to her tenure

at UNC. At the California State University system, she served as senior vice chancellor for

administration and finance from 1992–93, and as executive vice chancellor and chief operating

officer from 1993 until her election as UNC president. Earlier in her career, Broad served as the

chief executive officer for Arizona's three-campus university system (1985–92) and in a succession

of administrative posts at Syracuse University (1971–85).

Broad has written and spoken widely on strategic planning for higher education, K–16

partnerships, information technology, globalization and biotechnology. She currently holds seats

on the boards of PBS (the Public Broadcasting Service) and the Parsons Corporation. She is past

chair of the National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges, past chair of the

Internet 2 board of trustees and past president of the International Council for Distance

Education. She has served on the boards and executive committees of the Business-Higher

Education Forum; Council on Competitiveness; National Association of University System Heads;

and the Centenary Committee for Fudan University in Shanghai, China. Broad earned a General

Motors Scholarship to Syracuse University, where she graduated Phi Beta Kappa with a

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baccalaureate degree in economics from the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs. She

holds a master's degree in the field from The Ohio State University.

F. Marion Cain III Panelist

F. Marion Cain III is currently assigned as associate director, Force Training Directorate in the

Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Readiness) in the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD).

His responsibilities include oversight of policy and programs for individual and institutional

training within DoD. Cain also served as a member of the Secretary of Defense’s Efficiency Review

Task Force and as co-lead for the Education and Training Work Group of the President’s

DoD/Veterans Affairs Veterans Employment Task Force. He is responsible for oversight of the DoD

Credentialing and Licensing Task Force whose mission is to streamline the civilian credentialing

process for service members and veterans.

Before joining DoD, Cain led major training programs for the Departments of Justice, Homeland

Security, and FEMA. Under his leadership, these programs trained hundreds of thousands of

emergency responders to respond to terrorist attacks involving weapons of mass destruction.

Previously, Cain served 26 years on active duty with the U.S. Army. A Master Parachutist, Cain is a

veteran of operational deployments for Operations JUST CAUSE (Panama) and DESERT STORM

(South West Asia). A Registered Professional Engineer and Certified Associate Program Manager,

Marion’s civilian education includes: a Bachelor of Science in civil engineering from The Citadel, a

Masters in civil engineering from the University of California, Berkeley, and a Masters in military

art and science from the U.S. Army School of Advanced Military Studies. His military education

includes the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, School of Advanced Military Studies,

Defense Language Institute (Basic Spanish), and the Inter-American Defense College.

Carla Casilli Facilitator

Carla Casilli is a leading authority in the burgeoning field of new credentials. Her strategic systems

approach and insightful writing has helped to establish, architect, and structure the open badges

ecosystem. In 2016, she has co-facilitated the Common Language Working Group for the

Connecting Credentials initiative and co-founded BadgeChain, an organization focused on the

intersection of learning recognition and distributed ledger technology. Previously, Casilli initiated

IMS Global’s entry into the evolving digital credentialing world as the inaugural Executive Director

of the IMS Digital Credentialing initiative. From 2011 to mid-2015 she helped to spearhead the

Open Badges movement, first at Mozilla in roles that ranged from Project Manager to Director of

Badge System Design + Implementation, and then at the Badge Alliance as the Director of Design

+ Practice. Casilli investigates, writes, and speaks nationally and internationally about open

badges and digital credentials.

Stephen Crawford, Ph.D. Welcome Remarks and Presenter

Dr. Stephen Crawford is project co-director of the Credential Transparency Initiative (CTI) and a

research professor at George Washington University’s Institute of Public Policy. Previously, he

served as deputy director of the Brookings Institution's Metropolitan Policy Program; a division

director at the National Governors Association; and executive director of the Governor’s

Workforce Investment Board in Maryland. Earlier, he taught at Bates College and the University of

Maryland, was executive director of research centers in Cambridge, MA and College Park, MD,

and served as an assistant dean at the University of Pennsylvania. He also served as a special

adviser to the Maryland Higher Education Commission, a member of the Frederick County Board

of Education, and a member of the Obama-Biden transition team.

Crawford holds a Masters from the Wharton Business School and a Ph.D. from Columbia

University. His publications include Technical Workers in an Advanced Society (Cambridge

University Press, 1987), several articles in professional journals, and several chapters in edited

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books. His current work focuses on creating and communicating comparable information about

workforce credentials, and on improving the financing of higher education. He is a member of the

boards of directors of the American National Standards Institute and its affiliate, Workcred. He is

also a presidential nominee for appointment to the U.S. Postal Service’s Board of Governors,

awaiting Senate confirmation.

Laurie Dodge, Ph.D. Panelist

Dr. Laurie Dodge is the vice chancellor of institutional assessment and planning and vice provost

at Brandman University. She oversees program outcomes assessment, program review,

curriculum processes, and academic catalog. Dodge serves as Brandman University’s WASC

(Western Association of Schools and Colleges) Accreditation liaison officer and is a member of the

WASC Substantive Change Committee. She was appointed for a 3-year term to the WASC Interim

Review Committee from 2010-2013 and was a member of the WASC Changing Ecology of Higher

Education Task Force 2011-2013. Dodge is a graduate of the inaugural WASC Assessment

Leadership Academy and is a key presenter for the Academy and for WASC Workshops on

Assessment, Lumina Degree Qualifications Profile, and Competency-Based Education. At

Brandman University, Dodge was a professor in psychology teaching research, statistics, senior

capstone, and pediatric neuropsychology. Over the last twenty years at the university, she has

also served as interim co-vice chancellor of academic affairs, interim dean of arts and science, and

department chair of psychology.

Dr. Dodge holds a Ph.D. in school psychology with cognates in Research and Human Development

from Ball State University. Prior to her position in higher education, Laurie was a school

psychologist in West Virginia and Indiana specializing in the areas of traumatic brain injury and

autism. She was a nationally certified school psychologist, licensed educational psychologist, and

led the Santa Barbara Head Trauma Team for K-12 schools. At a national level, Dr. Dodge has

been a leader in competency-based education in higher education and has been invited to

Washington DC convening events and presented at national conferences. She serves on the

Higher Education Advisory Council (HEAC) and is co-chair of C-BEN (Competency-Based Education

Network). Funded by the Lumina Foundation, C-BEN is an invited collaborative group of

institutions across the nation committed to solving common challenges around developing

quality, competency-based models capable of scaling to affordably serve more students.

Joerg Draeger, Ph.D. Panelist

Dr. Jörg Dräger is a member of the Executive Board of Bertelsmann Foundation. He received a

Ph.D. in theoretical physics from Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. After beginning his career

with the management consulting firm Roland Berger, he became executive director of the

Northern Institute of Technology in Hamburg.

In 2001, at the age of 33, he took office as Hamburg’s minister of science and research, and later

as its minister of health and consumer protection. In 2008, he joined the Bertelsmann Stiftung as

a member of its Executive Board and director of the CHE Centre for Higher Education.

John Engler Lunch Speaker

John Engler is president of the Business Roundtable (BRT), an association of chief executive

officers of leading U.S. corporations that produce $7.4 trillion in annual revenues and employ

more than 16 million people. A former three-term governor of Michigan, Engler assumed

leadership of Business Roundtable in January 2011 after serving six years as president and CEO of

the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM).

As BRT president, Engler brings CEO expertise and insights to bear on major challenges facing the

United States, including global competitiveness, innovation, economic growth and job creation.

BRT-member CEOs lead global companies that invest $158 billion annually in research and

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development – equal to 62 percent of private U.S. R&D spending. In addition, they pay more than

$200 billion in dividends to shareholders and generate more than $540 billion in sales for small

and medium-sized businesses annually. Through landmark reports like “Taking Action for

America: A CEO Plan for Jobs and Economic Growth” (2012), “It’s Time to Act for America’s

Future” (2013), and “Invested in America: A Growth Agenda for the U.S. Economy” (2014),

Business Roundtable and Engler promote policies to achieve more robust economic growth and

hiring. These priorities include a restructuring of the nation’s system of taxation to broaden and

lower corporate tax rates and move to a modernized system of worldwide taxation, expanded

international trade, and fixing the nation’s broken system of immigration.

Throughout his leadership at both the NAM and Business Roundtable, Engler has been heavily

engaged in education and workforce issues, identifying the pressing shortage of skilled employees

as a growing threat to American competitiveness in the 21st century’s high-tech global economy.

During Engler’s tenure as the 46th governor of Michigan from 1991 to 2003, he signed 32 tax cuts

into law – saving Michigan taxpayers some $32 billion – and helped create more than 800,000

new jobs, taking the state’s unemployment rate to a record low. The top priority of his

administration was improving education, with a focus on high standards, equity and

accountability. Syndicated columnist David Broder summarized Engler’s service as governor as a

“model of strong, executive leadership.” He had previously served for 20 years in the Michigan

Legislature, including seven years as state Senate majority leader. Elected in 1970, Engler was the

youngest person ever elected to the Michigan State House of Representatives. In 1990, he

became the first sitting legislator elected Michigan governor in more than 100 years. Engler

serves on the board of directors for Universal Forest Products, K12 Inc., and Jobs for America’s

graduates and is a past chairman of the National Governors’ Association. Engler graduated from

Michigan State University with a bachelor of science in agricultural economics. Later, he earned a

law degree from Thomas M. Cooley Law School in Lansing, Michigan.

Paul Fain Moderator

Paul Fain, news editor, came to Inside Higher Ed in September 2011, after a six-year stint covering

leadership and finance for The Chronicle of Higher Education. Fain has also worked in higher-ed

public relations, with Widmeyer Communications. A former staff writer for C-VILLE Weekly, a

newspaper in Charlottesville, VA, Fain has written for The New York Times, Washington City

Paper, and Mother Jones. He has won a few journalism awards, including one for beat reporting

from the Education Writers Association and the Dick Schaap Excellence in Sports Journalism

Award. Fain became hooked on journalism while working too many hours at The Review, the

student newspaper at the University of Delaware, where he earned a degree in political science in

1996.

Kimberly Green Facilitator

Kimberly Green is executive director of Advance CTE. For the past 23 years, she has worked

extensively on federal policy impacting Career Technical Education (CTE). Working closely with

Congress, the Administration, and a broad range of stakeholders, she represents the interests of

and seeks support for CTE. In addition to this policy work, she helped establish, implement and

grow the national Career Cluster® Initiative, the Common Career Technical Core, the CTE:

Learning that Works for America Campaign and Putting Learner Success First: A Shared Vision for

the Future of CTE – all of which are designed to build visibility and support for CTE, while also

raising the bar for CTE by ensuring consistency in the delivery of high quality programs to students

across the U.S. Green also helped to secure the largest philanthropic investment in career

readiness/CTE; the New Skills for Youth Initiative funded by JPMorgan Chase & Co. invests in

systemic, state-level transformation to increase access to high-quality CTE and aligns to the

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aspirations of Putting Learner Success First.

Green represents the State CTE Directors on a variety of boards and committees including the

Board of Directors for the Manufacturing Skills Standards Council, the National Technical Honor

Society, and the National Career Academy Coalition. She serves as an advisor to the National

College and Career Readiness Center, the Great Teachers and Leaders Center, the American

National Standards Institute’s Certificate Accreditation Program, the Advancing Equity Technical

Advisory Group, and the National Center for Supply Chain Technology Education National Visiting

Committee. She is an accomplished speaker, having presented in all 50 states and is considered a

nationally-recognized expert in CTE. With the support of Pell Grants and the federal work study

program, she is a graduate of Cornell University’s School of Industrial and Labor Relations.

Amy Heitzman, Ph.D. Panelist

Dr. Amy Heitzman is deputy CEO and chief learning officer at the University Professional and

Continuing Education Association (UPCEA). With degrees in art history from the University of

Michigan and the University of Chicago, Heitzman began her career in museum education,

developing programs and training museum educators at various university art museums, as well

as the Art Institute of Chicago and the Dallas Museum of Art. In 2002, after having served as

Education Director for the Meadows Museum on the campus of Southern Methodist University

(SMU), her interest in adult learners led her to the directorship of SMU’s Continuing Education

unit.

Over the course of the next decade, she expanded the unit’s reach into the community and on

campus, transforming the role of Continuing Education at SMU into one of broad, inter-

disciplinary collaboration. As executive director of continuing and professional education, she

directed a new strategic vision for the unit, effectively doubling the number of programs offered

and students served, increasing the university’s capacity to more deeply engage with its

community. While at SMU, Heitzman served in various leadership roles including board

membership in the SMU Staff Association and the Hegi Family Career Center and as an appointed

member of the Presidential Council for Community Engagement and the Faculty and Staff

Committee of the Second Century Capital Campaign.

It was during her time at SMU that she earned graduate certificates in marketing and nonprofit

leadership, as well as the M.Ed. Heitzman earned her doctorate in Higher Education

Administration at The University of Texas at Austin in 2014, and her dissertation focused on

female student veterans in higher education. Her current research agenda is broad and involves

examinations of nontraditional learners, the experiences of student veterans—particularly those

of female student veterans, as well as comparative studies of international higher education

systems.

Prior to joining the UPCEA staff, she was deeply engaged as a volunteer leader for the

organization, having served as chair of the South Region, vice-chair of the Leadership and

Management Commission, a member of the Board of Directors, and as chair of the National

Membership Committee and Regional Cabinet.

Roberts T. Jones

Closing Remarks and

Moderator

Roberts T. Jones is the president of Education & Workforce Policy, LLC, a policy consulting firm

whose singular focus is the advancement of education, training, and workforce policy. He also

serves as the president of the MTC Institute, the policy and research arm of the Management and

Training Corp. Jones is also a co-director of the Lumina Foundation-funded Credential

Transparency Initiative (CTI). Jones has served as the president and CEO of the National Alliance

of Business, the Assistant Secretary of Labor under President Reagan and again under President

Bush, senior positions in two major U.S. corporations and as a chief of staff to two U.S.

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Congressmen. Having held senior leadership positions in the legislative and executive branches,

and extensive experience in the private sector, he has been personally engaged in every major

piece of education, training, and workforce legislation for the past 40 years. He played a lead role

in the landmark research project and report, Workforce 2000: Work and Workers for the 21st

Century, and was responsible for the Department of Labor's SCANS Commission, which for the

first time spelled out the skills necessary for success in the workplace.

Jim Kendzel, MPH, CAE

Panelist

Jim Kendzel, MPH, CAE, currently serves as the vice president, certification services at the

American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA). AHIMA has over 90,000

individuals holding one or more of the nine active AHIMA certifications. Prior to coming to

AHIMA, Kendzel served as the executive director/CEO of the American Society of Plumbing

Engineers (ASPE) and the executive director for the Institute for Credentialing Excellence (ICE),

and also served as the senior vice president, administration at NSF International. Kendzel has over

25 years of experience in leadership roles associated with standards development, quality

systems management, and product/personnel certification. Kendzel serves in volunteer roles for

organizations such as ICE, the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), ASTM International,

International Accreditation Services (IAS) and the International Organization for Standardization

(ISO). He received his Masters of Public Health from the University of Michigan and is a Certified

Association Executive.

Jeanne Kitchens

Presenter

Jeanne Kitchens is associate director of the Southern Illinois University Center for Workforce

Development (CWD) and project co-director of the Credential Transparency Initiative (CTI).

Kitchens is responsible for facilitating CTI technology development and the project’s Technical

Advisory Committee. Kitchens and her team have been working on innovative state and national

programs over the past fifteen years that focus on improving access to information.

Thomas Kriger, Ph.D.

Panelist

Dr. Thomas J. Kriger is the director of research at North America’s Building Trades Unions. From

2008 to 2012 Kriger was professor of labor studies and provost and vice president for academics

at the National Labor College. He served as assistant to the president and director of legislation

and research for the American Federation of Teacher’s largest higher education local, United

University Professions (#2190), from 1998 to 2007. Kriger has held faculty positions at the

University of Northern Colorado, Providence College, and St. Lawrence University, and is the

author of numerous publications on labor issues.

Mary Beth Lakin

Facilitator

Mary Beth Lakin is the director of College and University Partnerships (CUP) in the Center for

Education Attainment and Innovation at the American Council on Education (ACE). CUP capitalizes

on statewide, regional, and national initiatives to raise awareness, acceptance, and application of

credit for prior learning and boost postsecondary credential completion rates, assisting higher

education institutions and systems in developing integrated programs and services that support

and validate a range of learning experiences.

With 11 years at ACE, Lakin has concentrated on working with institutions to expand educational

pathways for adult learners, including military service members and veterans. Currently, Lakin is

the Center’s lead for several initiatives focusing on the mapping of ACE credit recommendations

and other credit for prior learning experiences to postsecondary credentials. She and her team

collaborate with institutions and systems around the country on the implementation of credit for

prior learning policies and practices, providing strategies and tools developed from recent

research that engaged a diverse group of institutions. Lakin has close to three decades of

experience as a faculty member, academic advisor, and program administrator. In her previous

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position at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia, she developed and directed the

University’s Experiential Learning program and an interdisciplinary degree program geared to

adult learners offered in a blended format. Her published articles, presentations, and research

center on credit for prior learning policies and practices, adult learning, and trends in

postsecondary education.

Gail Mellow, Ph.D.

Panelist

Dr. Gail O. Mellow has served as president of LaGuardia Community College in Long Island City,

Queens since 2000. A member of the City University of New York (CUNY) system, LaGuardia is a

nationally recognized leader among community colleges for boundary-breaking success educating

underserved students. An expert on the history, development, and future of the American

community college, Mellow co-authored Minding the Dream: The Process and Practice of the

American Community College (Rowman & Littlefield, 2008), in addition to numerous articles and

editorials about issues facing higher education in America. Mellow is in demand as a speaker both

in the U.S. and abroad, and has shared her expertise with educators and public officials in several

countries, including Chile, Greece, France, El Salvador and China.

Since Mellow joined LaGuardia in 2000, the college has won numerous awards, among them the

prestigious 2006 MetLife Foundation Community College Excellence Award for Service to

Underserved Students, and was named one of the top three large community colleges by the

Community College Survey of Student Engagement in 2003. Under Mellow’s leadership, over $16

million in external funding through grants and contracts is secured each year for workforce

development, initiatives that support at-risk students, and initiatives to help low income

individuals transition to work and to education. She is co-creator of Global Skills for College

Completion (GSCC), a collaborative $3.6 million Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation-funded project in

which LaGuardia, League for Innovation in the Community College, and Knowledge in the Public

Interest will develop a breakthrough curriculum and improve instruction in the teaching of math

and writing basic skills as part of a larger Gates-funded effort to increase community college

students’ graduation rate.

In 2008, she signed an agreement with officials from Chile’s Universidad Central to create

Community College de Santiago, the first community college in Chile, under the auspices of

Universidad Central, and with support from LaGuardia, that will enhance social mobility in Chile.

In March 2010, the new college opened its doors to enroll 180 students.

Mellow serves on the Carnegie Foundation’s board for the Advancement of Teaching, among

many others. Appointed by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet

Napolitano, she serves on the Homeland Security Academic Advisory Council. She is also a

commissioner on the Business Roundtable’s Springboard Project with business leaders, labor

experts, academics, foundation heads and former policymakers who offer recommendations to

strengthen the American workforce by highlighting the important role community colleges will

play in our economic recovery.

Mellow received an A.A. from Jamestown Community College, a B.A. from SUNY Albany, where

she graduated Phi Beta Kappa, and her M.A. and Ph.D. from The George Washington University in

Social Psychology.

Jamie Merisotis

Opening Remarks

Jamie Merisotis is a globally recognized leader in philanthropy, higher education, and public

policy. Since 2008, he has served as president and CEO of Lumina Foundation, one of the largest

private foundations in the U.S. and a driving force for increasing Americans’ success in higher

education. He previously served as co-founder and president of the nonpartisan, Washington, DC-

based Institute for Higher Education Policy, and as executive director of a bipartisan national

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commission on college affordability appointed by the President and Congressional leaders.

Merisotis is the author of the highly-regarded 2015 book America Needs Talent, published by

RosettaBooks. He is frequently sought after as a media commentator and contributor. His writing

has appeared in The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, National Journal, Stanford Social

Innovation Review, Washington Monthly, Huffington Post, Politico, Roll Call, and other

publications. His work includes extensive global experience as an adviser and consultant in

southern Africa, the former Soviet Union, Europe and other parts of the world. A respected

analyst and innovator, Merisotis is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations in New York. He

is the recipient of numerous awards and holds honorary degrees from several colleges and

universities. Merisotis commits his time and energies as trustee for a diverse array of

organizations around the world, including his alma mater Bates College in Maine, the Council on

Foundations in Washington DC, The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis, Anatolia College in

Greece, and the London-based European Access Network.

Eric V. Mitchell

Panelist

Eric Vincent Mitchell is the executive director, talent optimization at AT&T. In this role, he is

responsible for AT&T’s Competency Management Center of Excellence, advancing the use of

defined competencies, job profiles, and competency assessments across talent management

processes and systems. Mitchell and his team work with AT&T business unit clients and human

resource partners to ensure AT&T has a skilled and engaged workforce.

With 35 years of service in the AT&T family of companies, Mitchell began his career in 1981 with

Pacific Bell. He has over 30 years of experience in human resources, holding successive positions

in Pacific Bell, SBC Communications, and AT&T. Mitchell has considerable experience leading

change and growth initiatives across a wide range of HR functions. He led test development and

selection methods during the implementation of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). He

directed recruiting and staffing services during a dynamic period of company growth. He

implemented and led the operations of AT&T’s HR service delivery model through a number of

company mergers. Mitchell has also led workforce diversity, affirmative action, EEO, corporate

ethics & compliance, workforce effectiveness, HR services, and attendance operations.

Mitchell attended the University of California at Berkeley and received his Bachelor of Science

with honors in biochemistry from the University of Stirling in Scotland. A native of California,

Mitchell now resides in Dallas, Texas.

Eleni Papadakis

Panelist

Since 2007, Eleni Papadakis has served as the executive director of the Workforce Training and

Education Coordinating Board in Washington State. Prior to this, Papadakis was the vice president

for planning and advancement with the Commonwealth Corporation in Boston, where she also

served as the vice president and director for the Center for Workforce Innovation and as the

director for program services. Papadakis also owned and operated a small business, a restaurant,

and entertainment venue in Worcester, Massachusetts. She began her career as a therapist,

career counselor, and Adult Basic Education instructor.

Papadakis earned her B.A. in psychology from Clark University in 1980, and her M.A. in counseling

psychology from Assumption College in 1982. Papadakis has served on the boards of a number of

local, state, and national organizations dealing with educational access and workforce

development. In her local community, she has served on the boards of theatre organizations,

community action agencies, voters’ rights, and youth services organizations.

Mike Reilly Mike Reilly joined the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers

(AACRAO) as executive director on June 1, 2012. Prior to coming to AACRAO, he served as the

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Presenter executive director for the Council of Presidents, an association of the 6 public baccalaureate

degree-granting institutions in Washington State. He has 20 years of experience in university

admissions and enrollment management, including having served as the associate vice president

for enrollment management at both Central Washington University and Humboldt State

University.

Lenore Rodicio, Ph.D.

Panelist

Lenore Rodicio is currently executive vice president and provost for Miami Dade College (MDC).

Rodicio previously served as provost for academic and student affairs at MDC. Rodicio joined MDC

in the fall of 2002 as an adjunct instructor of chemistry at the Kendall and InterAmerican

Campuses. Since that time, she has held a number of positions at the college including associate

professor, chair of natural and social sciences, dean of academic affairs, and vice provost for

student achievement. Rodicio has led a number of projects aimed at recruiting students to the

sciences and improving the teaching/learning process in the STEM fields, including projects

funded by the National Science Foundation and the Carnegie Foundation. As a faculty member,

Rodicio served as a founding co-chair of the Learning Outcomes Project that facilitated a

nationally-recognized process to develop college-wide general education learning outcomes and

related assessment tools. As vice provost for student achievement, as well as in her current role,

she has worked with key partners such as the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Achieving the

Dream, Lumina, and Kresge, to improve student success and completion at MDC and to

implement comprehensive solutions to improve completion rates, while upholding the highest

standards of quality teaching and learning.

Rodicio holds a Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry from Barry University, and a Doctor of

Philosophy degree in chemistry from Louisiana State University. She is a member of the American

Chemical Society (ACS); a past president of the Association for General and Liberal Studies (AGLS);

and a current member of the Board of Directors for the Association of American Colleges and

Universities (AAC&U).

Andy Rotherham

Moderator

Andrew J. Rotherham is a co-founder and partner at Bellwether Education Partners, a national

nonprofit organization working to support educational innovation and improve educational

outcomes for underserved students. Rotherham leads Bellwether’s thought leadership and policy

analysis work. He is also the executive editor of Real Clear Education, part of the Real Clear

Politics family of news and analysis websites, a contributing editor to U.S. News & World Report,

writes the blog Eduwonk.com, teaches courses on education policy at universities including The

University of Virginia, and is co-publisher of “Education Insider,” a federal policy analysis tool

produced by Whiteboard Advisors. Rotherham previously served at the White House as special

assistant to the President for domestic policy during the Clinton administration, as a former

member of the Virginia Board of Education, and was education columnist for TIME. In addition to

Bellwether, Rotherham has founded or co-founded two other education organizations and served

on the boards of several other successful education start-ups.

Rotherham is the author or co-author of more than 300 published articles, book chapters, papers,

and op-eds about education policy and politics, and is the author or editor of four books on

educational policy. He serves on the Board of Directors for the Curry School of Education

Foundation at the University of Virginia, The 74, and the International Board of Directors for

Classroom Champions, a Canada-based nonprofit that pairs Olympic and Paralympic athletes with

high-poverty classrooms and schools. Rotherham is a fellow and moderator in the Aspen Global

Leadership Network and serves on advisory boards for a variety of organizations including

Education Pioneers, the National Center for Analysis of Longitudinal Data in Education Research,

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the Center for Reinventing Public Education at the University of Washington, and The National

Young Farmers Coalition.

Ken Sauer, Ph.D.

Panelist

Dr. Ken Sauer is senior associate commissioner and chief academic officer at the Indiana

Commission for Higher Education. His duties as chief academic officer for the commission include:

making recommendations on proposals for new degree programs; reviewing existing degree

programs; analyzing programs with few graduates or low enrollments; overseeing commission

student data systems; representing the commission with various external constituencies, such as

the Indiana General Assembly Collaborating with other units of state government on inter-agency

projects; and undertaking applied research and policy studies. While at the commission, he has

been closely associated with a number of special state-level initiatives, including Indiana e-

Transcript Initiative Formulation of dual credit policy Development and implementation of

Indiana's comprehensive community college system Transfer Indiana Initiative, working with the

Statewide Transfer and Articulation Committee (STAC), and funding and implementation of a

statewide transfer web site agreement on the future directions of Indiana University and Purdue

regional campuses, Indiana's strategic directions framework for policy and planning development

in higher education. Prior to joining the commission, he served with the Illinois Board of Higher

Education (1980-1985) and the National Center for Higher Education Management Systems

(NCHEMS) in Boulder, Colorado (1975-1980). While at NCHEMS, Sauer developed a classification

system that is still used annually by all colleges and universities in the U.S. for reporting degree

data to the federal government, Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP codes). He also

developed a projection model that was used for many years by the U.S. Secretary of Health for

periodically reporting data on nursing supply and demand to the President and Congress. Sauer

earned his Ph.D. in international relations/government from the Claremont Graduate University

and his Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from St. John Fisher College. Between college and graduate

school, he served as a Peace Corps volunteer on the island of St. Kitts in the West Indies.

Martin Scaglione

Facilitator

Martin Scaglione is president and CEO of Hope Street Group. Scaglione has made it his life’s work

to create access to learning for those in need. His recent roles include co-founder and CEO of

Viridis Learning, a talent technology company, and president and COO of ACT’s Workforce

Development Division, where he launched the National Career Readiness system, and helped

drive President Obama’s Job Council program, “Right Skills Now.” Previously, Scaglione served as

COO at Bosch-Siemens Household, vice president, corporate strategy at Hon Industries, and vice

president, marketing at Maytag. He is a graduate of Drake University.

Robert Sheets, Ph.D.

Presenter

Dr. Robert Sheets is project co-director of the Credential Transparency Initiative (CTI) and a

research professor at George Washington University’s Institute of Public Policy. He conducts

research related to postsecondary education, workforce development, and economic

development policy as well as labor market and education and workforce data systems. He is

currently conducting research on human capital financing and risk management, the credentialing

and higher education marketplace, public-private labor market information systems, and the

changing role of government in global talent markets. Before coming to George Washington

University, he served as the director of research at Business Innovation Services, University of

Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Sheets received his B.A. and M.A. from the University of Missouri at

Columbia and his Ph.D. from the University of Illinois at Urbana -Champaign.

Louis Soares

Moderator

Louis Soares is vice president, Center for Policy Research and Strategy at the American Council on

Education (ACE) and has served as co-chair of the Credential Transparency Initiative (CTI)

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executive committee since 2015. He joined ACE in June 2013 as vice president for policy research

and strategy and head of the Council’s Center for Policy Analysis. With more than 20 years of

experience in postsecondary education policy and practice, he is responsible for further

positioning ACE as a thought leader on emerging trends in higher education. Soares most recently

served as the director of the postsecondary education program and fellow at the Center for

American Progress (CAP). Prior to CAP, he served as director of business development under

Rhode Island Governor Donald L. Carcieri and as director of education and training for the Rhode

Island Technology Council. Additionally, he was a small business consultant with the U.S. Peace

Corps in Romania. Soares was appointed by Secretary of Education Arne Duncan to serve on the

National Board of the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education in November 2011.

He holds a master’s degree in public administration from Harvard University (MA) and a

bachelor’s degree in business economics from Brown University (RI).

Roy Swift, Ph.D.

Presenter

Dr. Roy Swift is the executive director of Workcred – an affiliate of the American National

Standards Institute (ANSI) and a project co-director of the Credential Transparency Initiative (CTI).

Previously, he served as ANSI’s chief workforce development officer and senior director of

personnel credentialing accreditation programs. Prior to ANSI, he was a consultant to educational,

certification, licensure and health care organizations. From 1993-1998, he was executive director

of the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT). This appointment

followed a 28-year career in the United States Army Medical Department. In his last position, he

was chief of the Army Medical Specialist Corps in the Army Surgeon General’s Office with policy

responsibility for Army occupational therapists, physical therapists, dietitians, and physician

assistants throughout the world.

He has served on many national committees, non-profit Boards of Directors, and federal and state

government advisory committees. He has served as chair of the Assembly of Review Committee

Chairs of the former Council on Allied Health Education and Accreditation of the American

Medical Association; chair of the American Occupational Therapy Association Accreditation

Committee (Academic Accreditation); and on the Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs

Advisory Committee for Certification. Swift recently served on an Institute of Medicine of the

National Academies Panel dealing with Provision of Mental Health Counseling Services under

TRICARE, and a planning committee for the future of Allied Health Practice. In addition, Swift

recently chaired an international working group within the International Accreditation Forum

(IAF) to recognize personnel certifications among member countries through the development of

multilateral recognition arrangements. He is also active on working groups related to personnel

credentialing in the International Organizational for Standardization (ISO) in Geneva, Switzerland,

and is a guest lecturer at the University of Geneva on credentialing. Swift holds a B.S. in

occupational therapy from the University of Kansas, an M.S. Ed. from the University of Southern

California, and a Ph.D. in continuing and vocational education with an emphasis in continuing

competency in the professions from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He has also

successfully completed the University of Chicago’s three-week management development course.

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Nan Travers, Ph.D.

Facilitator

Nan L. Travers currently serves as the director of the Office of Collegewide Academic Review at

Empire State College and focuses on the policies and practices of self-designed student degree

programs and the assessment of prior college-level learning. Over the years, Travers has been

involved in research in adult learning, including Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) and ways in

which students develop self-regulated learning. Prior to Empire State College, Travers has held a

variety of administrative positions at community colleges in Vermont and New Hampshire. She

received her Ph.D. at the University of Connecticut in adult learning.

Andy Van Kleunen

Facilitator

Andy Van Kleunen is chief executive officer of National Skills Coalition, which he founded in 2000

as The Workforce Alliance in collaboration with leaders from the workforce development and

philanthropic communities. He has led the Coalition to become a nationally recognized voice on

behalf of a diverse array of stakeholders, building upon his experience as a community organizer,

a policy analyst, and a practitioner-advocate with roots in the workforce field. He oversees all

aspects of the Coalition’s efforts, including building alliances with new partners as well as advising

state and federal policy initiatives.

Van Kleunen is the author of multiple publications in the areas of workforce policy, healthcare

policy, and urban community development. He is a recognized expert on state and federal

workforce policy, regularly cited in such leading national publications as The New York Times,

Washington Post, and USA Today. Prior to founding the Coalition, he was director of workforce

policy for the Paraprofessional Healthcare Institute, where he worked with employers, unions,

and client advocates to improve job quality and training for low-wage workers within the nation's

long-term care sector. He also spent over 14 years in community organizing and development

efforts within several of New York City’s low-income and working-class neighborhoods.

He holds a master’s degree in urban sociology from the Graduate Faculty at the New School for

Social Research, and a bachelor’s degree in political science and honors studies from Villanova

University. Van Kleunen has been a member of NSC’s Board of Directors since 2010.

David Wilcox

Facilitator

David Wilcox is the president and CEO of Global Skills X-Change (GSX). Wilcox co-founded GSX to

focus on the deployment and implementation of industry practices for using validated skill and

knowledge information to develop strategies and provide tools to support the development of a

high quality workforce. Currently, he is working with an array of public and private organizations

for achieving this objective. Wilcox was the former executive deputy director of the National Skill

Standards Board (NSSB) in Washington, DC. In this role, he was responsible for developing

strategies for infusing industry skill standards and certifications in the workforce development

and educational systems of the United States.

Experienced in management skills and business leadership development, Wilcox holds a Master of

Science degree in both counseling and human resources and electrical engineering, and is also a

registered professional engineer. He created Wilcox Performance Systems and was a principal of

Executive Effectiveness Inc. prior to his associations with the NSSB. In these roles, he provided

quality leadership, strategic management services, and training for major corporations (Xerox,

ADP, IBM, and Corning), the U.S. Department of Defense, and many public agencies. He serves on

numerous national committees and has been recognized in many publications including “Who’s

Who in America” for over 35 years.