BOARD OF DIRECTORS
BROOKS DOHERTY – Chair
Assistant Vice President of Academic Innovation, Rasmussen University
STEPHANIE BERNOTEIT – Secretary
Executive Deputy Director for Academic Affairs, Illinois Board of Higher Education (IBHE)
CHRISTINA AMATO
Dean of eLearning, Sinclair College
BIO
Brooks Doherty is Assistant Vice President of Academic Innovation at Rasmussen University. He is completing a doctorate in education at St. Mary’s University, earned an MA in literature from University College London, and graduated from the University of Minnesota with degrees in Political Science and English. His central areas of interest are competency-based education, developmental education, workforce preparedness, the relationship between liberal learning and professional learning, and Irish literature. Prior to his current work, Doherty taught remedial and college-level writing courses for students of varying disciplines.
BIO
Dr. Stephanie Bernoteit serves as Deputy Director for Academic Affairs at the Illinois Board of Higher Education (IBHE). In this capacity, she oversees the agency’s regulatory work with approximately 400 postsecondary institutions, including public and private universities and private business and vocational schools. Dr. Bernoteit is responsible for the agency’s initiatives to promote postsecondary student success and workforce development. She serves on the Illinois P-20 Council, Illinois Early Learning Council, and the Illinois Attendance Commission and is co-chair of the state’s Early Childhood Professional Development Advisory Committee. Stephanie is currently engaged in work with the Illinois State Board of Education to connect Illinois institutions of higher education to a statewide pilot of competency-based education (CBE) among K-12 school districts. She also leads with the Governor’s Office of Early Childhood Development and the Illinois Network of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies a statewide effort to enact a competency-based system of educator preparation, professional development, and credentialing in the field of early childhood education in Illinois. Dr. Bernoteit is co-author of two publications about this effort (Voices from the Field: Collaborative Innovations in Early Childhood Educator Preparation and Advancing the Illinois Early Childhood Education Workforce: A Model College and Career Pathway).
Prior to joining IBHE, Stephanie Bernoteit worked at Illinois State University as executive director for alumni relations and co-director of the School of Education’s National Board Resource Center. A National Board Certified Teacher in Early Childhood from 1996-2016, Stephanie spent several years at the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards as staff liaison to higher education. She also worked as an early childhood and elementary classroom teacher in the West Des Moines Community School District. Stephanie holds a doctorate in education from Illinois State University, a graduate certificate in non-profit leadership from Georgetown University, a master’s degree in education from Drake University, and a bachelor’s degree in elementary education with an emphasis in early childhood from Northwest Missouri State University.
BIO
Christina Amato is the Dean of eLearning at Sinclair Community College. Christi has dedicated her career at Sinclair to increasing student access, accelerating completion of college credentials, and redefining student experiences utilizing innovative practices in pedagogy and technology. Christi has implemented initiatives related to military student programming, online student case management and retention, and competency-based education, earning awards from the League for Innovation, Department of Labor, and Instructional Technology Council for her work. She is the co-chair of the Ohio CBE Network, a coalition in partnership with the Department of Higher Education, Ohio Association of Community Colleges, and the Inter-University Council. Christi has a bachelor’s degree in English literature, and a master’s degree in public administration. She currently lives in Dayton, Ohio with her husband and two daughters.
JENNIFER GRAEBE – Vice Chair
Director, Primary and Joint Accreditation, American Nurses Credentialing Center
AMARDEEP KAHLON
Vice President of Academic Affairs
Paradise Valley Community College
ERIC HEISER
Provost of Academic & Student Affairs, Central Ohio Technical College
BIO
Dr. Kahlon and her team have worked with several colleges and universities in Texas by holding competency-based education workshops and providing mentoring for emergent competency-based education programs. She serves as the conference chair for annual Fast Track to Success conference, which provides a valuable forum to discuss innovation in higher education across Texas. In October 2017, the Chronicle of Higher Education profiled her as one of the top ten innovators for her work in competency-based education.
In addition to Fast Track to Success, Dr. Kahlon is the director of a Texas Affordable Baccalaureate project as well as the Women in Technology program at Austin Community College. Prior to assuming her current roles, Dr. Kahlon spent a sabbatical year (2013-14) in India as the founding dean of academics at an emerging new university. Till 2010, she was an assistant program chair in the computer science/information technology area at Austin Community College. She has presented at local, state, and international conferences and has been invited to speak in different forums.
In addition to competency-based education, Dr. Kahlon is keenly interested in issues facing Asian-Americans in the US. She has served as an invited speaker at Asian-American events and is the co-editor of the 2018 book Asian/American Scholars of Education: 21st Century Pedagogies, Perspectives, and Experiences. She is also very interested in issues related to women and diversity in computing.
Dr. Kahlon’s academic background is in Computer Science and Higher Education. She taught computer science at Broome Community College in New York and Austin Community College in Texas. She has designed and developed traditional, online, and competency-based coursework. With a doctorate in Higher Education Administration from the University of Texas at Austin and her background in computer science, she brings together the best of both worlds – technical education and higher education.
BIO
Dr. Amardeep Kahlon is the director of Fast Track to Success at Austin Community College. The primary aim of the Fast Track to Success project is to expand competency-based education across Texas.
Dr. Kahlon and her team have worked with several colleges and universities in Texas by holding competency-based education workshops and providing mentoring for emergent competency-based education programs. She serves as the conference chair for annual Fast Track to Success conference, which provides a valuable forum to discuss innovation in higher education across Texas. In October 2017, the Chronicle of Higher Education profiled her as one of the top ten innovators for her work in competency-based education.
In addition to Fast Track to Success, Dr. Kahlon is the director of a Texas Affordable Baccalaureate project as well as the Women in Technology program at Austin Community College. Prior to assuming her current roles, Dr. Kahlon spent a sabbatical year (2013-14) in India as the founding dean of academics at an emerging new university. Till 2010, she was an assistant program chair in the computer science/information technology area at Austin Community College. She has presented at local, state, and international conferences and has been invited to speak in different forums.
In addition to competency-based education, Dr. Kahlon is keenly interested in issues facing Asian-Americans in the US. She has served as an invited speaker at Asian-American events and is the co-editor of the 2018 book Asian/American Scholars of Education: 21st Century Pedagogies, Perspectives, and Experiences. She is also very interested in issues related to women and diversity in computing.
Dr. Kahlon’s academic background is in Computer Science and Higher Education. She taught computer science at Broome Community College in New York and Austin Community College in Texas. She has designed and developed traditional, online, and competency-based coursework. With a doctorate in Higher Education Administration from the University of Texas at Austin and her background in computer science, she brings together the best of both worlds – technical education and higher education.
BIO
Dr. Eric Heiser is the Provost at Central Ohio Technical College (COTC). He has worked in higher education for the past 15 years. Eric was a full-time assistant professor at Central Wyoming College in Riverton, Wyoming for six years and taught in the areas of business, management, and criminal justice. Eric also spent time as a director and workforce training coordinator during his time at Central. He spent six years at Salt Lake Community College (SLCC) as an Associate Dean and Dean and built one of the nation’s largest Competency-Based Education (CBE) Programs from which the college was recognized nationally by multiple outlets. The school transitioned 20 formerly non-credit, clock-hour programs into CBE. He has led award-winning efforts and established procedures for SLCC’s non-credit to credit conversion which allows students to transfer non-credit studies towards associate degrees. In his current position, Heiser oversees the Academic, Student Affairs, and Enrollment Management areas within Central Ohio Technical College. Prior to moving into higher education, he spent time as a general manager in the hospitality industry.
He is the principal/owner of Heiser Education Consulting, LLC, an education consulting firm specializing in change management in higher education. He has advised numerous colleges in the areas of change management, competency-based education (CBE), and leading change through innovation. Eric serves as Chairman of the Board of Directors for the Lumina Foundation-funded Competency-Based Education Network (C-BEN). He is also a founding member of the National Advisory Board for Postsecondary Competency-Based Education and Learning Research. In addition to his work in CBE, Eric also serves as Vice-President of the Board for the National Council of Instructional Administrators (NCIA), an affiliate council of the AACC. In 2019, Eric was appointed a content expert to the Department of Education’s What Works Clearinghouse to advise the department on best practices in career and technical education.
Eric has been a reviewer for the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU) in the area of CBE. He has delivered over three dozen conference presentations and key notes and published several articles on the topic of CBE and academic innovation over the past seven years. He holds a Ph.D. in Higher Education Leadership from Colorado State University.
JILLIAN KLEIN
Vice President, Government Affairs & Public Policy, Strategic Education, Inc.
EMMA L. MILLER
Program Chair for Bachelor of Applied Science in Organizational Leadership, South Texas College
RAY RICE — Treasurer
President, University of Maine at Presque Isle
BIO
Jillian Klein is Vice President of Government Affairs and Public Policy for Strategic Education, Inc. where she works with internal and external partners on higher education policy, postsecondary innovation and federal financial aid compliance on behalf of Capella University and Strayer University. She was part of the team that created Capella University’s FlexPath program offerings, including the first bachelor’s and master’s level programs approved to receive federal financial aid by the Department of Education.
Jillian received a B.A. in business administration from Augustana College in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, a M.A. in systematic theology from Luther Seminary, and is an alumna of the Policy Fellows program at the Humphrey School of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota. She lives in Minnesota with her husband and two young girls.
BIO
Dr. Emma L. Miller has been in higher education administration in the state of Texas for over 20 years. She has a Ph.D. in Applied Management and Decision Science with a concentration in Leadership and Organizational Change from Walden University. Currently, Dr. Miller is the program chair for the Competency-Based Education Bachelor of Applied Science in Organizational Leadership program at South Texas College. As a researcher, she has focused on mentoring examining how it relates to student retention and attrition and its impact on the institution as well as Competency-Based Education. She has also served as Assistant Dean for the Bachelor Programs. In addition, Dr. Miller began serving as Board Member of the national organization Competency-Based Education Network (C-BEN) fall 2019.
BIO
Raymond J. Rice has served as President and Provost at the University of Maine at Presque Isle since July 2016. He has also served UMPI as its Vice President of Academic and Student Affairs as well as the Chair of the College of Arts and Sciences. A graduate of the University of Connecticut, Ray arrived in Presque Isle in August 1997 as an Assistant Professor of English; he was promoted to Associate Professor in 2002 and Professor in 2006. He has been involved in multiple campus-wide initiatives at Presque Isle towards the implementation of a proficiency based curriculum, the development of an academic learning commons, revisions to the General Education curriculum, and dual-enrollment early college partnerships with Aroostook County high schools. He has co-chaired and/or served on a number of University of Maine System committees, including the General Education Task Force, the Distance Education Task Force, and the Chief Academic Officers of the University of Maine System. Most recently, he coordinated the successful regional accreditation approval process for delivery of competency-based (CBE) degree-completion programs in Business Administration, soon to be expanded into other disciplines. Family members include wife Rachel (who has also worked at UMPI for over a decade) and his children Zachary (21), Naomi (9), and cat Fritz (who we think is 13).