Sheena G. Serslev
PRESIDENT-ELECTDr. Sheena G. Serslev is the Associate Director of Institutional Assessment at George Mason University where she manages annual assessment efforts while integrating an educational development approach. Prior to joining George Mason, she co-led a center for teaching as Associate Director of Engaged Teaching at UC San Diego where she collaborated with departments and faculty to design evidence-based, student-centered, and equitable learning experiences. Sheena earned her BA Visual Arts and BA in Communications at UC San Diego and completed her Master’s in Arts Management from the Heinz College of Public Policy at Carnegie Mellon University. She earned her Doctorate in Educational Leadership from UC San Diego and her research interests blend program assessment with creativity and learning.
Tisha M. Paredes
PRESIDENTUntil June 2021, Dr. Tisha M. Paredes was the Assistant Vice President for Institutional Effectiveness & Assessment at Old Dominion University (ODU). Prior to accepting this position in 2015, she served as the office’s Research Associate, Senior Research Associate, and Director of Assessment. Tisha helped to promote institutional effectiveness activities at all levels of the University. She has presented workshops and consulted on topics including institutional effectiveness, academic and administrative assessment, general education assessment, QEP assessment, and SACSCOC compliance. She has served on several on and off-site accreditation committees as a reviewer and led a team of reviewers. Her book, Using Focus Groups to Listen, Learn, and Lead in Higher Education, was published in summer 2018. Tisha stepped away from ODU in 2021 to focus on consulting with other institutions. She provides workshops, webinars, and other professional development activities for assessment and accreditation professionals. She is currently serving a 3-year term on the Fulbright Specialist roster, allowing her to support assessment and accreditation activities at international institutions.
Megan Good
PAST-PRESIDENTMegan serves as the Executive Director of the Center for Assessment and Research Studies (CARS). In this role, she oversees assessment support available to degree programs, student affairs, general education, and special projects geared towards improving student learning and development. Megan is a graduate of the Assessment and Measurement doctoral program and prior to returning to CARS, she served as Auburn University’s inaugural Director of Academic Assessment (4.5 years) and SACSCOC liaison (1.5 years).
Joel Hanel
SECRETARYJoel Hanel supports the University of Virginia’s School of Education and Human Development (EHD) in the development, implementation, and analysis of student assessments, surveys, and program outcomes. In this role, he coordinates with EHD leadership, faculty. and the UVA Office of Academic Compliance on the development and change to programs for the institution and the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV). Hanel also leads and supports program-specific accreditation efforts, program curriculum development, and student affairs assessment within EHD. Professionally, Hanel serves in leadership roles in the Virginia Education Assessment Collaborative (VEAC), the Virginia Assessment Group (VAG), and the Virginia Association of Colleges and Teacher Educators (VACTE). Hanel also serves as a Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) site visitor.
Tia Minnis
SPECIAL ADVISOR FOR HBCUsDr. Tia A. Minnis serves as the Vice Provost for Academic Success, Planning, and Institutional Effectiveness at Virginia State University. In this role she oversees the Office of the Registrar, the Office of Distance Education, and the Office of Planning and Institutional Effectiveness (OPIE) which includes the Planning, Assessment, Institutional Research units of the university. Dr. Minnis also directs the Accreditation, General Education, and Faculty Development initiatives. In her role as the Vice Provost, Dr. Minnis works closely with the Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic and Student Affairs to develop and implement strategic initiatives and refine operational processes at the macro and micro levels to support the University’s faculty, staff, and overall student success. With over 15 years of experience in higher education accreditation, institutional change management, organizational effectiveness, and strategic planning, assessment, and budgeting, Dr. Minnis has supported numerous institutions in the process of attaining reginal accreditation and/or enhancing the overall effectiveness of the institution.
Dr. Minnis holds a Doctoral degree in Educational Leadership from Clark Atlanta University, a Master of Business Administration, and a Master of Technology, both from Georgia Southern University, a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Management and in Computer Information Systems from Savannah State University, and an Associate of Arts degree in Computer Data Processing from the College of the Bahamas.
Nick Curtis
JOURNAL EDITOR, RESEARCH AND PRACTICE IN ASSESSMENTDr. Nick Curtis serves as the Director of Assessment at Marquette University. In this role, Dr. Curtis provides leadership and support to the Marquette community, including academic departments, the Marquette Core Curriculum, and co-curricular units, in the assessment of student learning and development outcomes for the purpose of large-scale student learning improvement efforts. Before joining Marquette, Dr. Curtis served as the Senior Learning Outcomes and Visibility Consultant for the Center for Assessment and Research Studies at James Madison University in Virginia, where he also earned his Ph.D. in Assessment and Measurement with a dissertation focused on student partnership in higher education learning outcomes assessment. His research areas include student partnership in higher education assessment, validity in higher education assessment, student learning improvement/innovation,, and novel performance assessment methods.
Janet Ping
TREASURERJanet Ping has been the Director of Institutional Research and Effectiveness at Blue Ridge Community College since 2022. In this position, she provides leadership and oversight for the college’s assessment and institutional research initiatives. Before her appointment at BRCC, she spent 18 years at Laurel Ridge Community College, where she held various roles related to technology services, planning, institutional effectiveness, research, analytics, and data systems. Janet is highly respected for her expertise in research methodologies and data analytics. She also contributes her expertise as a reviewer for SACSCOC Institutional Effectiveness. She is currently pursuing a Doctorate of Education in Leadership with a focus on Higher Education at Virginia Commonwealth University.
Shantya Plater
MEMBER-AT-LARGE, FOUR-YEAR PUBLICDr. Shantya Plater serves as the Director of Assessment at Norfolk State University (NSU), where she leads institution-wide efforts to strengthen assessment practices, promote student success initiatives, and ensure compliance with regional and state accreditation standards. With extensive experience in academic program review, strategic planning alignment, and outcomes assessment, she collaborates with faculty, administrators, and senior leadership to build a sustainable culture of evidence and continuous improvement.
Her accreditation expertise includes coordinating and supporting initiatives related to SACSCOC reaffirmation, substantive change, and quality enhancement planning. She has guided academic and administrative units in aligning assessment processes with the institutional mission and regulatory expectations, while also promoting data-informed decision-making across the university.
Dr. Plater has presented on assessment, accreditation, and institutional effectiveness at professional conferences including SACSCOC meetings, the Association for Institutional Research (AIR), and for the Board of the Virginia Assessment Group. Her work focuses on making assessment practical, meaningful, and actionable for institutions committed to excellence and accountability.
Riley Herr
COMMUNICATIONS AND MARKETINGRiley serves an assessment consultant in the Center for Assessment and Research Studies (CARS) at JMU. At CARS, Riley has served on the Student Affairs Support Services (SASS) team and the Academic Program Assessment team. Riley is also a doctoral student in the Assessment and Measurement PhD program at James Madison University. She received an M.A. in Quantitative Psychology (2024) and a B.S. in Psychology (2022) from James Madison University.
TBD
SCHEV REPRESENTATIVE