Western Association of Schools and Colleges

Ralph A. Wolff, has been at the Senior College Commission of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) for 30 years, and was appointed President in 1996. In that capacity, he has led WASC to the forefront of accreditation as an agent of public accountability and innovation. He received over $2 million in grants to transform the accreditation process to an outcomes and learning based model, which has been in place since 2001. For this work, he received the Virginia B. Smith Award for Innovative Leadership. He has written and spoken internationally on the redefinition of quality in higher education, and the role of accreditation as an agent of change and institutional transformation. At the national level, he has been appointed to represent regional accreditation in negotiated rule making sessions held by the Department of Education in 2006, 2008 and 2010. He is currently leading another round of accreditation redesign at WASC that will focus on retention and graduation, defining degree outcomes more clearly, and opening the accrediting process to far greater transparency. At the same time, he is creating an internal structure to explore new educational models, the Do It Yourself Learner, and other emerging practices that are likely to change both higher education and accreditation.

Teri Cannon, Executive Vice President, joined WASC in 2006 after serving as Dean of the John F. Kennedy University Law School from 2003-2006. Teri also has served as Dean of several private law schools, and as Associate Dean at San Francisco State University. She has extensive experience in accreditation through her involvement with the American Bar Association, where she conducted over 60 visits, served as an ABA Commissioner, and authored the First and Second Editions of ABA Approval: A Reference Manual for Paralegal Educators. Teri graduated from UCLA with a BA in Political Science and completed her JD at Loyola Law School.
tcannon [at] wascsenior [dot] org
(510) 748-9001 ext. 315

Brenda Barham Hill, WASC Associate, has enjoyed a 35-year career as an administrator and faculty member in higher education. For the past four years, she has served as a consultant to private colleges and universities in California. Prior to joining WASC as a part-time Associate in summer 2010, Brenda served as the founding Chief Executive Officer of Claremont University Consortium (CUC) for seven years. Previous professional experiences include Vice President for Planning and Research, and Secretary to the Board of Trustees, at Scripps College; Senior Development Officer at Claremont Graduate University; and Associate Provost of Claremont University Center. Brenda’s work with WASC includes over 20 years as a visit team member or chair, service on various committees and task forces, and co-author of a paper on assessment practices. Brenda also has supported higher education as the independent colleges’ representative to the Finance and Facilities Working Group for the State of California Educational Master Plan from 2000-2002 and to the Evaluation Advisory Committee for the federally funded GEAR UP Program for the State of California. Brenda holds an AB from Occidental College, and an MA and a PhD from The Claremont Graduate University.
bbhill [at] wascsenior [dot] org
(510) 748-9001, extension 352

Keith R. Bell, WASC Associate, joined WASC in 2008 in a specialized role designed to support vice presidents in easing the heavy schedule of accreditation visits. Keith is an experienced visiting team member/assistant chair and has been a member of the WASC Proposal Review Committee, ARC Planning Committee, and Evaluator Training Advisory Group. He also has served his institution as Accreditation Liaison Officer and accreditation report writer. Keith brings a wealth of experience to WASC: his academic career in private higher education spans more than four decades. He has held a variety of positions over the years, including ranked faculty member, department chair, registrar, director of institutional research, vice provost, and vice president of academic affairs. Keith is based in San Diego, where he served 18 years as professor and Vice Provost for Academic Administration at Point Loma Nazarene University. Keith earned his master's degree from Texas Tech University and completed his PhD in Spanish Language and Literature at the University of Oklahoma, Norman.
kbell [at] wascsenior [dot] org
510) 748-9001 ext. 354

Richard Giardina, WASC Associate, joined WASC in October 2005, after 29 years at San Francisco State University, most recently as Associate Vice President for Academic Planning and Assessment. In that role, he was responsible for coordinating the institution's "A-level" endeavors: assessment, accountability, accreditation, academic planning, and academic program review. Previous responsibilities included oversight of curriculum, undergraduate studies, graduate education, and international programs. He served as Accreditation Liaison Officer to WASC for 25 of his 29 years at SFSU, and coordinated the institution's self-studies in 1981, 1991, and 2001. Over the years, Richard has served WASC as an evaluator on numerous team visits and as a Staff Associate. His academic credentials include a BA degree from Fordham University and a PhD in International Politics from Princeton University.
rgiardina [at] wascsenior [dot] org
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Barbara Gross Davis, Vice President, joined WASC in September 2010. For the past twenty years, she has provided service to WASC as a visiting team member, as a member of two special WASC committees, and as chair of the Substantive Change Committee. Since 1985, Barbara has held a variety of administrative positions at the University of California, Berkeley, including Assistant Vice Chancellor, Equity and Inclusion; Assistant Vice Provost, Undergraduate Education; Assistant Vice Chancellor, Student Life-Educational Development; and Dean of Educational Development. Her areas of interest include faculty development, instructional improvement, and the evaluation of teaching and learning. She has served as a consultant to educational organizations, federal agencies and other universities on a variety of projects; she has also conducted workshops, developed online multimedia materials, and written on topics related to teaching, learning and evaluation. Her book, Tools for Teaching, published by Jossey-Bass, is now in its Second Edition. Barbara received her BA, MA and PhD from the University of California, Berkeley.
bdavis [at] wascsenior [dot] org
(510) 748-9001, ext. 356

Diane Harvey,Vice President, joined WASC in 2009 and has served as a WASC evaluator since 2001. She is Emeritus Vice President for International Affairs, Dean, and Professor of Philosophy at Menlo College in Atherton. While at Menlo College, she served as Vice President for International Affairs, Dean of the International Program, Dean of the Professional Studies Program (degree completion), Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs, and President of the Faculty Senate. Diane was the Founding Chairperson of three academic departments/programs and of the Liberal Arts and Sciences Executive Committee (early Faculty Senate). She was appointed Distinguished Faculty Member and has won awards for teaching, scholarship, and administration. Diane has taught at Peking University and Guangdong Law and Business University, and has researched at Harris Manchester College, Oxford University. Diane holds bachelor's degrees in Philosophy and in Education from San Diego State University, and earned both a master's degree in International Policy Studies and a PhD in Philosophy from Stanford University.
dharvey [at] wascsenior [dot] org
(510) 748-9001 ext. 303

Richard Osborn, Vice President, joined WASC in July 2009 after serving eight years as President of Pacific Union College in Napa Valley, California. Dick has enjoyed the experience of growing up in international locations, including Lebanon and Uruguay. He has served at every level within education, including as teacher, principal, and superintendent at the elementary, junior high, and high school levels. As a regional and national education vice president, he served as board member/consultant for fifteen college/university boards conducting many training sessions and presenting strategic planning and other seminars. He also has served in various capacities on several hospital boards. Dick’s leadership capacity in several state and national associations includes recent service as Chair of the Association of Independent California Colleges and Universities. Dick has an undergraduate degree from Columbia Union College in Takoma Park, Maryland, and an MA and a PhD in History from the University of Maryland, specializing in colonial Virginia history.
rosborn [at] wascsenior [dot] org
(510) 748-9001 ext. 310

Richard Winn, Vice President, was appointed to WASC in 2003. Following more than 15 years of service as a faculty member at several colleges, he served as Assistant Dean for Curriculum at Western University's College of Medicine. He is currently serving his third term as a member of the Board of Examiners for the National Baldrige Quality Award. In addition to supporting a portfolio of institutions, Richard oversees the eligibility process, as well as WASC relations with the U.S. Department of Education and with CHEA. Richard holds an EdD in Educational Leadership from the University of La Verne. Richard’s dissertation examined universities that employed the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award Criteria to achieve their reaffirmation of accreditation.
rwinn [at] wascsenior [dot] org
(510) 748-9001 ext. 335

Barbara Wright, Vice President, joined WASC in 2005. A well-known and respected national expert on assessment, Barbara possesses extensive experience in accreditation. She served six years as a member of the New England Association of Schools and Colleges Commission on Institutions of Higher Education. Barbara also has experience in a variety of higher education administrative positions, and frequently consults on issues of assessment, general education, foreign language instruction, and faculty development. She taught for many years at the University of Connecticut, Storrs, prior to her appointment to WASC. Barbara holds a PhD in German literature from the University of California, Berkeley.
bwright [at] wascsenior [dot] org
(510) 748-9001 ext. 313

Amy Allington,
Commission Support Manager
aallington [at] wascsenior [dot] org
(510) 748-9001 ext. 321

Chris Castagnola,
Finance & Operations Manager
ccastagnola [at] wascsenior [dot] org
(510) 748-9001 ext. 305

Philip Cole-Regis,
Visit Coordinator
pcregis [at] wascsenior [dot] org
(510) 748-9001 ext. 308

Jill Ferguson,
Director of Organizational Change
jferguson [at] wascsenior [dot] org
(510) 748-9001 ext. 320

Henry Hernandez,
Information Systems Manager
hhernandez [at] wascsenior [dot] org
(510) 748-9001 ext. 309

Julie Kotovsky,
Educational Events Manager
jkotovsky [at] wascsenior [dot] org
(510) 748-9001 ext. 307

Sharyl McGrew,
Accreditation Resource Manager
smcgrew [at] wascsenior [dot] org
(510) 748-9001 ext. 312

Jamie Wilkins,
Accreditation Resource Coordinator
jwilkins [at] wascsenior [dot] org
(510) 748-9001 ext. 304

Brad Watson,
Executive Assistant to Ralph Wolff
bwatson [at] wascsenior [dot] org
(510-748-9001 ext. 314

Siobhan Williams,
Visit Process Manager
swilliams [at] wascsenior [dot] org
(510) 748-9001 ext. 301

Jessica Worchel,
Accreditation Redesign Project Manager
jworchel [at] wascsenior [dot] org
(510) 748-9001 ext. 311