Board of Directors
JENNIFER GRAEBE – Board CHAIR
Director, Primary and Joint Accreditation, American Nurses Credentialing Center
Jennifer Graebe has a professional nursing career spanning 22 years and has a wealth of education and clinical experience. Jennifer received her master of nursing in leadership and health systems management from Drexel University, her baccalaureate degree in nursing from Villanova University; and a certificate in healthcare management, accounting and economics from Johns Hopkins University. Jennifer holds the ANCC Nurse Executive Advanced – Board Certification.
In August 2015, Jennifer joined the American Nurses Enterprise in their subsidiary the American Nurses Credentialing Center as the Senior Operations Manager of Primary and Joint Accreditation. In October of 2017, Jennifer was promoted to the role of Director of Primary and Joint Accreditation. In this role, Jennifer is responsible for the strategic and daily operations of over 450 accredited organizations that provide and approve continuing nursing education and interprofessional continuing education.
Jennifer is a published column author and has presented at several conferences nationally. Jennifer is adjunct faculty at Capella University in the School of Nursing and Health Sciences and is a PhD candidate in education and public health. Before her role at the ANCC, Jennifer has held positions in leadership at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital as the Clinical Educator and Clinical Manager in the Emergency Department. While at MGUH, Jennifer was recognized as Nurse Leader of the Year (2014) and Nurse of the Year in Nursing Education (2010). Jennifer also holds instructor certificates in basic and advanced cardiac life support.
Jennifer has experience as a board-certified forensic nurse. Jennifer provided interprofessional continuing education in leadership and human trafficking. Until recently, Jennifer continued to work with patients clinically in the Emergency Department and teach courses on High-Reliability Organizations and Medication Safety.
Diane M. DeBacker - Vice Chair
Associate Vice Provost, Jayhawk Online and Jayhawk Flex; Founding Director of the Center for Certification and Competency-Based Education; Co-Executive Editor of the Competency-Based Education Research Journal Competency-Based Education Research Journal, University of Kansas
Diane M. DeBacker, EdD, serves as the Associate Vice Provost for Jayhawk Online and Jayhawk Flex overseeing the program development of all traditional online and competency-based education programs at the University of Kansas. Dr. DeBacker began her tenure at the University of Kansas in 2021 when she was named the Founding Director of the Center for Certification and Competency-Based Education, C3Be, a research center originally within the Achievement and Assessment Institute and now within Jayhawk Global. She continues to serve in this role in addition to that of Associate Vice Provost of Jayhawk Online and Jayhawk Flex and Co-Executive Editor of the Competency-Based Education Research Journal Competency-Based Education Research Journal. Dr. DeBacker’s passion for education has taken her from her first high school classroom in Manhattan, Kansas, to advising the education system in Abu Dhabi of the United Arab Emirates, to Chief Academic Officer in Seattle Public Schools, to serving as Commissioner of Education for the state of Kansas, and as Executive Director of Business and Education Innovation for the Kansas Department of Commerce. In her 40 plus years in education, DeBacker has provided clarity to complex education issues including state education governance structures, school finance, federal education legislation, education policy, and workforce development and training.
JAMIE FASTEAU
Vice President for Policy and Advocacy and the Executive Director of the Center for Higher Education Policy and Practice at Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU)
Jamie is the Vice President for Policy and Advocacy and the Executive Director of the Center for Higher Education Policy and Practice at Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU). In that role, she leads policy development and engagement efforts on an equity-focused and practitioner-informed agenda. Previously, she served in numerous leadership positions in education and civil rights policy, including in Congress and philanthropy. Jamie served as Director of Policy, Education at Emerson Collective where she focused on policy development and advocacy for Emerson’s education priorities. Prior to joining Emerson Collective, Jamie served as Director of Education Policy for Congressman George Miller, Senior Democrat, on the House Education and the Workforce Committee, where she oversaw the Committee’s full education agenda. She also served as Legislative Assistant for Senator Patty Murray on education, issues affecting children and families, and civil rights. Jamie is on the Board of SchoolHouse Connection, which seeks to overcome homelessness through education.
Jaimie Francis
Vice President of Policy and Programs, U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation
Jaimie M. Francis is vice president of policy and programs at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation. Francis develops and oversees the U.S. Chamber Foundation’s programs for workforce development. She manages its Talent Pipeline Management (TPM) initiative and its 1,700+ member National Learning Network of TPM practitioners as well as the Pathways with Purpose initiative. Francis is a faculty member for the TPM Academy, a training for state and local chamber, business association, and economic development agency leaders, as well as employers, to learn the TPM approach to drive partnerships with their education and training providers based on industry need. Earlier in her career, Francis worked for the Division of Student and Academic Support Services at The George Washington University in Washington, D.C. She began her career as an admissions counselor for her undergraduate alma mater, Davidson College in Davidson, North Carolina, where she received her Bachelor of Arts in sociology. She received her Master of Arts in Higher Education Administration from The George Washington University’s Graduate School of Education and Human Development.
NATALIE JONES
Senior Vice President of Clinical Practice and Innovation at Prolink
Kimo Kippen
Founder, Aloha Learning Advisors
Kimo Kippen is a globally recognized thought leader in lifelong learning and talent development who served as chief learning officer at Hilton and VP of learning at Marriott International. He currently serves in advisory roles with organizations such as ATD, APIA Scholars, and The Conference Board, and regularly facilitates HR Executive learning events worldwide.
Ajita Talwalker Menon
President and CEO of Calbright College
Ajita Talwalker Menon is president and CEO of Calbright College, where she leads a public, online competency-based approach to driving economic mobility for Californians and providing skilled talent for employers across the state. She previously served as special assistant to the president for higher education policy in the Obama Administration, as well as holding senior roles at the U.S. Department of Education and the U.S. House of Representatives.
Jane Oates
Senior Policy Advisor and former president of WorkingNation
Jane Oates is Senior Policy Advisor and former president of WorkingNation. Jane served as assistant secretary for the Employment and Training Administration at the US Department of Labor. She previously was executive director of the New Jersey Commission on Higher Education and also served for a decade as senior policy advisor to Senator Edward M. Kennedy of Massachusetts.
Joe Edelheit Ross
President and CEO of Reach University
Joe Ross is president and CEO of Reach University, a nonprofit university advancing apprenticeship degrees. Joe previously led a statewide education advocacy association, California County Boards of Education, and served for over ten years as an elected trustee of the San Mateo County Board of Education. Earlier in his career, he served on active duty in the U.S. Navy, and later as a deputy district attorney.