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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.

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.

Judith S. Eaton, Ph.D., 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.

Diane Ferguson is the head of financial institutions, corporate and investment banking, at Mizuho Americas, where she leads Mizuho’s Financial Institutions Group and is responsible for strategy and revenue generation across insurance companies, financial technology and specialty finance. Ferguson is a senior banking executive with more than 25 years’ experience in creating and directing financial institutions, as well as growing significant revenue for banking and market products. She is the co-founder of Mizuho’s Women’s Network and is actively involved in the company’s global diversity and inclusion initiative.

Eduardo J. Marti, Ph.D., 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.

For nearly 30 years, Tom Gluck played an important role in many of the most significant education policy debates in Pennsylvania. Most recently, Gluck was the executive director of the Pennsylvania Association of Intermediate Units (PAIU), working to build the capacity of the state’s 29 intermediate units to deliver high-quality and cost-effective supports and services to students, educators and schools. Prior to joining PAIU, he served as Pennsylvania’s secretary of education and as the Pennsylvania Department of Education’s executive deputy secretary, leading Governor Edward Rendell’s ambitious education agenda.

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.

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.

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.

Enis Dogan, Ph.D., 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.

Michele Balliet, Ed.D., 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.