Leadership

Bob Yayac has 30+ years’ experience in all aspects of designing, building, and growing technology-enabled businesses, most recently as co-founder of a simulation-based medical education company.

As CEO & President, Bob sets the strategic direction for CAE and works closely with clients, partners, and the CAE team to ensure CAE delivers on its mission to improve student outcomes.

Dr. Doris Zahner is the Chief Academic Officer at CAE where she provides thought leadership and oversees all research and development studies pertaining to CAE’s performance-based assessments.

Dr. Zahner holds a PhD in cognitive psychology and an MS in applied statistics from Teachers College, Columbia University.

In addition to her responsibilities at CAE, Dr. Zahner is an adjunct associate professor at Barnard College and Teachers College, Columbia University, as well as New York University, where she teaches statistics courses to undergraduate and graduate students in the social sciences and public policy.

Cynthia Kim has 25+ years’ experience in the assessment industry with expertise in test development and measurement. Her experience includes managing high stakes assessment programs in the certification market ensuring adherence to industry standards in test development, psychometrics, scoring, and reporting.

As Vice President, Operations at CAE, Cynthia oversees all operations management and collaborates closely with clients and the CAE team to ensure operational success and high customer satisfaction.

Stacey Sparks has over 30 years of experience in the design and creation of educational assessments, including teacher certification tests; K-12 summative assessments; and innovative classroom-embedded performance tasks.

In her role as CAE’s Senior Director of Content Design and Development, Sparks collaborates closely with clients, content developers, program managers, and measurement scientists to ensure that all of CAE’s assessments meet the highest standards.

Tess Dawber has over 15 years of experience in the assessment industry leading large-scale educational assessments for K-12 populations and college students. Her experience includes participating in all aspects of the test cycle, such as developing test designs; conducting item and form analyses, scaling, equating, and special studies; preparing technical documentation; and advising on psychometric-related issues and best practices.

In her role as CAE’s Senior Measurement Scientist, Tess collaborates closely with clients, content developers, program managers, and the measurement team to ensure the accuracy and on-time delivery of CAE assessment results.

Kelly Rotholz has nine years of experience in the educational assessment industry, working in program management and product development.

In her role as CAE’s Product Director, Assessment Solutions, Rotholz collaborates closely with clients, content developers, program managers, and the measurement team to ensure that the solutions offered are well aligned with client needs, leveraging modern technology and innovative performance assessments.

Dennis Brown recently retired as group operating officer with market research company The NPD Group. In this role, he introduced new research methodologies, facilitated strategic alliances with other research innovators, and led a business transformation to keep NPD growing with leading brands around the world. A seasoned senior executive with more than 40 years of success in information services, market research and consumer durables, Brown held leadership positions at companies including World Kitchen, Krups/Moulinex, and Corning Glass Works.

Judith S. Eaton, PhD, recently retired after 23 years from her position as president of the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA), the largest institutional higher education membership organization in the U.S. Eaton was previously chancellor of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities, the Community College of Philadelphia and the Community College of Southern Nevada, and also served as vice president of the American Council on Education. A published author, she’s written numerous books and articles on higher education and accreditation-related topics, and addresses accreditation and quality assurance at conferences worldwide.

Michael J. Feuer, PhD, is dean of the Graduate School of Education and Human Development and professor of education policy at George Washington University (GWU). Prior to GWU, Feuer was immediate past president of the National Academy of Education and a nonresident senior fellow at the Brookings Institution. Feuer, appointed by President Barack Obama in 2014 to the National Board for Education Sciences, also served as a senior analyst and project director at the U.S. Congress Office of Technology Assessment, where he specialized in educational technology and testing.

Eduardo J. Marti, PhD, served as vice chancellor for community colleges of The City University of New York and is president emeritus Queensborough Community College. Prior to his leadership positions for New York City, Marti served as president of Corning Community College of the State University of New York (SUNY) and as president of SUNY’s Tompkins Cortland Community College. An advocate for high standards and the traditional values of education, he serves on the board of trustees of Teachers College at Columbia University, and as a member of the New York State Governor’s Commission on Educational Reform.

Michele Balliet, EdD, is the superintendent of schools for the Elizabethtown Area School District, Pennsylvania, where her strategic vision and leadership, promote an environment that inspires a passion for learning. Balliet joined the school district in 2008 as an assistant superintendent for elementary education. Balliet also served as the superintendent of Lancaster County Career and Technical Center, Willow Street, Pennsylvania and as the assistant to the superintendent for K-12 curriculum and instruction for neighboring Lower Dauphin School District in Hummelstown. She began her career in education with the East Penn School District in Emmaus as an elementary education teacher.

Enis Dogan, EdD, is a senior research scientist at the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). Dogan oversees the psychometric quality of national assessments and surveys conducted by the U.S. Department of Education, including the National Assessment of Educational Progress. Prior to joining NCES, he served as the lead psychometrician and co-chair of the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) Research and Psychometrics Committee, where he designed, managed and conducted research to inform the development of the PARCC assessments as valid and reliable tools for the Common Core State Standards.

Brenda Gardner is the director of human resources at Mandarin Oriental, Boston, where she is responsible for all human resource functions, including talent acquisition and learning and development at the 2020 Forbes Travel Guide Five Star and AAA Five Diamond award-winning hotel and spa. Gardner also worked in human resources roles with other reputable brands in hospitality such as Hilton-branded hotels, Morgans Hotel Group, Starwood Hotels and Resorts and the Pyramid Hotel Group properties, including Marriott.

Leighann Lenti serves as Chief of Partnership for the University of Virginia Partnership for Leaders in Education – a transformative and tailored leadership program for school and district transformation. Leighann has over 18 years of education policy experience at the state and federal level. This includes as the Deputy Secretary of Education at the New Mexico Public Education Department, where she oversaw college and career readiness, school accountability and transformation, teacher evaluation and the standards and assessment system.

Matt Maguire is a marketing and technology expert specializing in the higher education market. He currently serves as vice president of client services and product development at Maguire Associates, a research-based consulting firm focusing exclusively on educational institutions. For over 30 years, the firm aids in advancing enrollment management, institutional marketing, competitive positioning and branding, and strategic planning in education – nationally and abroad – through a range of services. Maguire manages a portfolio of client projects in quantitative research and predictive modeling, while also participating in the company’s leadership and management.

Su Pyun is an accomplished technology sales leader with over 20 years of sales experience in networking services. She currently serves as a senior account executive at Fastly, a cloud computing services provider, working with streaming media and digital publishing companies to deliver the best online experience to their audience and users. As the youngest child of an immigrant family, Pyun is passionate about helping women of color thrive in corporate America. She is a member of her company’s diversity and inclusion council and is also a certified professional coach and energy leadership index master practitioner, stress and anxiety.