Board of Advisors
Kristen S. Betts, Assistant Professor
Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA
Dr. Betts is an Assistant Professor in the School of Education’s Higher Education Program at Drexel University. Dr. Betts’ expertise is online education with a research focus on recruitment, engagement, and retention of students, faculty, and adjunct faculty. She has over 14 years experience in online program design, strategic planning, and evaluation. Dr. Betts publishes and presents nationally and internationally on online education, retention, instructional strategies, and professional development. Dr. Betts received her doctorate in Higher Education Administration from The George Washington University and received her undergraduate and master’s degrees from the College of William & Mary. Dr. Betts’ dissertation focused on the recruitment and retention of online faculty.
Daryl Chubin, Director
AAAS Center for Advancing Science & Engineering Capacity
American Association for the Advancement of Science, Washington, DC
Dr. Chubin is the Director of the AAAS Center for Advancing Science and Engineering Capacity, which provides consulting services to individual universities and colleges seeking to increase the participation of US students, especially women and underrepresented minorities, in science and engineering careers. He is the former Senior Vice President for research and policy programs at the National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering (NACME). Before joining NACME, Dr. Chubin spent 15 years in federal service, beginning in 1986 at the congressional Office of Technology Assessment. He joined the National Science Foundation (NSF) in 1993 as a division director for Research, Evaluation, and Communication n the Directorate for Education and Human Resources. In 1997, Dr. Chubin served as assistant director for Social and Behavioral Sciences and Education at the White House Office of Science and Technology. Since 1991, Dr. Chubin has been an adjunct professor at the Cornell-in-Washington Program. He has published eight books and numerous policy reports, articles, and commentaries. Among his honors are: AAAS Fellow, Past Chair of the AAAS section on Societal Impacts of Science and Engineering, Fellow of the Association for Women in Science, co-recipient of the American Society of Engineering Education Wickenden Award for best paper published in the 2003 volume of The Journal of Engineering Education, QEM/MSE 2006 Giant of Science, and Sigma Xi Distinguished Lecturer 2007-2009. Today, he serves on the board of directors of three not-for-profit organizations and on the editorial board of three professional journals. Dr. Chubin received his Ph.D from Loyola University in 1973.
Lawrence E. Gladieux, Education Policy Consultant, McLean, VA
Mr. Gladieux is an independent consultant. His clients have included the US Department of Education, The College Board, The McKenzie Group, the American Federation of Teachers, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education. Mr. Gladieux has presented testimony to Congress and been a frequent speaker on topics related to government and education at meetings of college administrators, state education officials and legislators, researchers and students. He has written numerous articles, and has co-authored and edited several books. He is the former executive director of the Washington Office of the College Board and past director for policy analysis. Through his leadership, the College Board's Washington D.C. office gained a reputation for reliable, independent policy analysis on issues of the high school-to-college transition, college affordability, and equal opportunity for higher education. Mr. Gladieux holds a Masters degree from the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University.
Howard T. Everson, Executive Director, NAEP Statistical Services Institute
American Institutes for Research
Washington, DC
Dr. Everson is currently the Executive Director of the NAEP Statistical Services Institute at the American Institutes for Research (AIR) in Washington, DC. Prior to joining AIR, he served as the Chief Research Scientist and Vice President for the College Board in New York. In the fall of 2006, Dr. Everson will join the faculty in Psychology and Psychometrics at Fordham University in New York. He also serves as Research Scientist at Institute for Urban and Minority Education at Teachers College, Columbia University. Dr. Everson's research and scholarly interests focus on the intersection of cognition, instruction, and assessment. He has contributed to developments in educational psychology, psychometrics, and quantitative methods. Before joining the College Board, Dr. Everson was a Psychometric Fellow at the Educational Testing Service. He is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association, a charter member of the American Psychological Society, and past-president of the Division of Educational Psychology (Division 15) of the American Psychological Association. Dr. Everson received a Ph.D. from the City University of New York.
Alex J. Kajstura, President, Pima Community College, Tucson, AZ
Alex J. Kajstura was appointed President of Pima Community College in 2011. Prior to joining Pima, he served as Provost for the Norfolk Campus of the Tidewater Community College in Norfolk, VIrginia. Dr. Kajstura formerly served as the district-wide dean of the of the School of Business and Technologies at the Daytona Beach Community College in Florida and, most recently, as provost of the college’s two largest branch campuses. His expertise is in the areas of academic programs and facilities development, innovative program delivery and technology in education, including online programs. Dr. Kajstura holds a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Silesian University in Poland, a master’s degree in business administration from LeTourneau University in Texas, a master’s degree in science in organic chemistry from Texas Tech University, and a doctorate in higher education from Southern Illinois University.
Pranav Kothari, Managing Director, Mission Measurement, LLC, Chicago, IL
Pranav Kothari is an expert on measuring performance of social impact organizations. As Managing Director of Mission Measurement, LLC, Pranav advises national funders, education initiatives, and nonprofit organizations and leads the firms Education practice team. He speaks and trains regularly on measuring social impact, federated nonprofit effectiveness, and education philanthropy strategy. Prior to joining Mission Measurement, Pranav served as a Program Director at KnowledgeWorks Foundation where he led new strategy development and college access grantmaking. His work in postsecondary education access has been recognized by the Ohio College Access Network and the Ohio Appalachian Center for Higher Education. Pranav holds an A.B. in economics from Washington University in St. Louis and an MBA from the Stephen M. Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan. Pranav currently serves on the Board of Directors for the National College Access Network and the Chicago Advisory Board of Education Pioneers.
Carlos Rodriguez, Principal Research Scientist
American Institutes for Research, Washington, DC
Dr. Rodriguez serves as a Principal Research Scientist at the American Institutes for Research (AIR). He is nationally recognized for his expertise on issues of equity, access, and educational attainment for minority populations in K-12 and higher education, especially in STEM in higher education. Over the past 14 years at AIR, he has served as project director for national evaluations of STEM-related high school, undergraduate, and graduate initiatives. He has ongoing work with the National Science Foundation (NSF) on evaluation issues related to underrepresented minorities and cultural contexts, and has chaired NSF proposal review committees. Among his accomplishments, Dr. Rodriguez authored the national report, America on the Fault Line: Hispanic American Education, which informed the Hispanic Education Action Plan (HEAP) guiding Hispanic educational initiatives in federal agencies. Dr. Rodriguez received his Ph.D. in Higher Education Administration from the University of Arizona.
Lesley Sanchez, CEO
Impacto Group LLC, Washington, DC
As the founder and CEO of Impacto Group LLC, one of the few women-owned communications and market research firms in the United States, Leslie Sanchez has become a much sought after voice on social and economic trends affecting women and the emerging U.S. Hispanic community. Hispanic Business magazine named her one of the nation's "100 Most Influential Hispanics." A former Bush administration official, Leslie is known for her straightforward style and in-depth understanding of the political and cultural landscape inside—and outside—Washington, DC. A veteran of numerous local, state and national campaigns, in 1999 she served as deputy press secretary at the Republican National Committee where she helped create the Republicans’ first-ever multi-million dollar ad campaign aimed at Hispanic voters. She later served as executive director of the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanic Americans. Leslie is a frequent columnist and her public analysis has appeared in the Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The Washington Post, U.S. News & World Report, as well as NBC, ABC, CBS, Fox News Channel, MSNBC, CNN, Univision, Telemundo and leading PBS programs, including News Hour with Jim Lehrer.
