NC-SARA Names New Board Chair, Announces Five New Board Members

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December 2, 2021                                                                              media@nc-sara.org

NC-SARA Names New Board Chair, Announces Five New Board Members

BOULDER, CO – The National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (NC-SARA) recently elected a new board chair and five new board members, each of whom will help support the organization’s work to expand students’ access to quality educational opportunities and ensure more efficient, consistent, and effective regulation of interstate distance education programs.

“We continue to strengthen NC-SARA’s board and leadership through the addition of respected experts in higher education, state leadership, distance education, and quality assurance,” said NC-SARA President and CEO Lori Williams. “The board is instrumental to establishing the strategic direction and priorities of our organization and, particularly at a time when distance education is more prevalent than ever, thoughtful insights from practitioners, policymakers, and other postsecondary professionals are absolutely essential.”

During its Fall 2021 board meeting, NC-SARA’s Board elected Ed Ray, President Emeritus of Oregon State University, as its new board chair. Ray has been a member of the NC-SARA board since Fall 2018, most recently as the board’s vice chair. Ray replaces Indiana Higher Education Commissioner Teresa Lubbers, who was elected board chair in 2019. Rob Anderson, president of the State Higher Education Executive Officers Association, has been elected as vice chair.

“I am genuinely looking forward to working with my skilled and experienced colleagues on the NC-SARA board to support the ongoing efforts of Lori Williams and her staff and our regional partners to enable online students across the country to attain their education goals,” Ray said.  “We are blessed to work with regional, state and institutional partners dedicated to providing students with cost-effective access to online learning of the highest quality, while ensuring their consumer protection rights.”

The new board members began their three-year terms with NC-SARA effective October 30, 2021 and can serve a maximum of two terms. The five new board members are:

• Barbara Gellman-Danley, president of the Higher Learning Commission
• Eduardo M. Ochoa, president of California State University, Monterey Bay
• Jason Rojas, member of the Connecticut House of Representatives; president’s chief of staff and associate vice president for external affairs at Trinity College
• Elise Scanlon, principal and founder of the Elise Scanlon Law Group
• Sarah Armstrong Tucker, chancellor of the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission; chancellor of the Community and Technical College System

To learn more about the NC-SARA Board and read member bios, click here.

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The National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (NC-SARA) is a voluntary, interstate reciprocal approach to state oversight of postsecondary distance education. The initiative is administered by the country’s four regional higher education compacts (MHEC, NEBHE, SREB and WICHE) and coordinated by NC-SARA. States and institutions that choose to participate agree to operate under common standards and procedures, providing a more uniform and less costly regulatory environment for institutions, more focused oversight responsibilities for states, and better resolution of student complaints. www.nc-sara.org