STEPHANIE BAILEY is the North Carolina and Colorado State Coordinator for the CAYG grant, working with both the University of North Carolina (UNC) System Office, the North Carolina Community College System, and Colorado State. She has held various academic and student affair positions in the UNC system office, university and community colleges in North Carolina. Previously, she was the Director of Community College Partnerships for the UNC System office.

DIAMOND WILLIAMS is a Senior Policy Associate on the Competencies and Credentials Team at Corporation for a Skilled Workforce. She supports efforts to expand the use of competencies and credentials within learning and talent management systems to remove educational barriers and increase career opportunities for low-wage workers with a particular emphasis on people of color. Diamond has served as a program developer, direct service provider and adviser. Previously, as Employment and Education Specialist at Café Reconcile, Diamond supported the organization’s mission to address the system of generational poverty, violence and neglect leading an innovative employability training curriculum coupled with social service supports.

LUCIA WEATHERS is the communications lead for Credential As You Go. She participates on the Leadership Team for the initiative and develops and implements communications strategies for the work. She is also CEO of Weathers Strategy Group (WSG), a mission-driven, strategic communications and consulting agency. For the last 15 years, she’s held positions leading marketing and communications efforts at national organizations focused on philanthropy, education, state and federal policy.

JASON RENDER is a Policy Associate with CSW’s Competencies and Credentials Team. He supports efforts to expand the use of competencies and non-degree credentials within learning and talent management systems to increase economic mobility for low-wage workers and address racial disparities. Jason has worked within philanthropic community engagement and advocacy work at both the local and national levels bringing diverse experiences all tailored towards disenfranchised community members across the United States. At CSW, Jason is focused within the development, implementation, and project management of work associated with the Credential As You Go initiative and other CSW projects. He has worked to increase economic mobility and community sustainability through his experiences and brings a strong passion for identifying and formulating solutions for the systemic ills that are observed within American societies.

WILLIAM PATE co-founded Ad Hoc Analytics, a DC-based minority- and womanowned statistical consulting firm specializing in quantitative program evaluation; and providing consulting services to nonprofit organizations, federal and state government clients, and other consulting firms on projects related to criminal justice, education, mentoring, and minority issues in higher education. Previously he served as the Assistant Director of the American Psychological Association Center for Workforce Studies.

KIRK KNESTIS is founding Principal of the DC-area research firm Evaluand LLC. He is an education researcher with a practice specializing in the evaluation and R&D of innovations in STEM and workforce education, including studies funded by the NSF and U.S. Departments of Education and Labor. He has particular expertise in performance- and portfolio-based learning assessment, and use of mixed-method approaches to study complex programs.

ASHLEY FRANK is Project Coordinator for the Center for Leadership in Credentialing Learning at SUNY Empire State College. Previously, she coordinated the Individualized Prior Learning Assessment portfolio process for the Institution’s largest Center.