Dr. Gianina Baker, Acting Director, National Institute for Learning Outcomes Assessment

Gianina Baker, Acting Director, provides leadership and directs research specific to the assessment of student learning at colleges and universities, primarily under the Lumina Foundation grants, at NILOA. Her main research interests include student learning outcomes assessment at Minority Serving Institutions, access and equity issues for underrepresented administrators and students, assessment in athletics, and higher education policy. She holds a Ph.D. in Educational Organization & Leadership with a Higher Education concentration from the University of Illinois, a M.A. in Human Development Counseling from Saint Louis University, and a B.A. in Psychology from Illinois Wesleyan University. Previous to this position, she was the Director of Institutional Effectiveness & Planning at Richland Community College.

Dr. David Dees, Dean and Chief Administrative Officer, Kent State University at East Liverpool

Dr. David M. Dees currently serves as Dean and Chief Administrative Officer and Kent State University East Liverpool and Salem Campuses.  He holds a B.S. in Communications and an M.A. in Theatre from the University of Kentucky.  He also earned a doctorate in Cultural Foundations of Education from Kent State University.   Dr. Dees has taught more than 20 different courses at Kent State University.  Some of his key accomplishments during his time at Kent State include: Chairing the FPDC review committee, which led to the creation of the current Center for Teaching and Learning; Chairing the Student Survey of Instruction review committee, which led to significant changes in the evaluation of teaching; Serving as a member of Kent State University's Strategic Advisory Committee, which helped outline and define the university’s current strategic vision. Dr. Dees is the founder of the Kent State Rural Scholars program, which combines mentoring with community and corporate assistance to prepare young adults for life after high school.  Currently, more than 100 students from high-poverty backgrounds, and who will be the first in their families to go to college, are being served by this program.  Due to the success of this program in Columbiana County, similar models are being implemented at each regional campus as the Kent State Rising Scholars Program.  Dr. Dees has authored dozens of articles and has made more than 100 presentations on various topics regarding teaching and learning.  Additionally, he has been recognized for his teaching by receiving several awards including Teacher of the Year Award at Gannon University and the Outstanding Teaching Award at Kent State University.

Mr. Andre Foisy, President of AALHE & Executive Director of Institutional Outcomes Assessment, Excelsior College

Foisy is an experienced educator and higher education professional with expertise in improving academic programs through the assessment of student learning. He’s been in his current position at Excelsior College since 2018. As a board member for the Associaton for the Assessment of Learning in Higher Education (AALHE), Andre leads teams of practitioners in activities aimed at promoting the organization, connecting members with resources, and facilitating scholarly collaborations among members. He is the incoming president for AALHE for 2020-2021.

Dr. Natasha Jankowski, Higher Education & Assessment Consultant, N/A

Dr. Natasha Jankowski is the former Executive Director of the National Institute for Learning Outcomes Assessment (NILOA) and previously served as a research associate professor with the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. She is co-author of the book Using Evidence of Student Learning to Improve Higher Education, as well as co-author of Degrees that Matter: Moving Higher Education to a Learning Systems Paradigm, and co-editor of Student-Focused Learning and Assessment: Involving Students in the Learning Process in Higher Education. A forthcoming book focuses on equity and assessment. Her areas of focus include assignment design, transparency, evidence-based storytelling, equity, mapping and alignment of learning, and all things assessment. Dr. Jankowski is the recipient of Kent State University’s Alumni Award and the Young Alumni Award from the College of Education at UIUC. She holds a Ph.D. in Higher Education from the University of Illinois, an M.A. in Higher Education Administration from Kent State University, and a B.A. in philosophy from Illinois State University.