Transition in Leadership

Ralph Wolff, who founded and served as President of QA Commons, will be stepping down as President June 30th and serving as Senior Advisor to support the new leadership team for the next several months. He commented that “It has been a privilege to work with so many team members, faculty, portfolio reviewers and Faculty Fellows these past five years. We have developed and implemented a set of processes and products that have brought a focus on Essential Employability Qualities (EEQs) at a critical time for higher and postsecondary education and demonstrated that these EEQs can be built into any academic, general education, workforce or certificate program that serves the needs of learners and employers without sacrificing the technical and academic content of these programs.” The QA Commons is pleased to announce that the Board has appointed Mason Bishop as its new President.

Mason brings 25 years of experience in employment policy, workforce development initiatives, postsecondary education and training, and entrepreneurship, and has the rare experience of having worked at both the federal and state/local levels in both workforce development and postsecondary education. He understands the strengths of, and challenges faced by, workforce agencies, community colleges and universities, federal agencies, and community organizations. I particularly enjoy implementing new initiatives, program reforms, and new business processes–improving service delivery and opportunities for people to be upwardly mobile. Mason has served as Deputy Assistant Secretary for the US Department of Labor, Legislative and Marketing Director for the National Association of State Workforce Agencies, Public Affairs Director for the Utah Department of Workforce Service, Vice President at Salt Lake Community College, and is currently a Visiting Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute.

QA Commons is excited to embark upon this new chapter and build upon the visionary and foundational work led by Ralph. In addition to delivering a robust toolkit of best practices to its certified and candidate institutions and colleges, the QA Commons will augment its offerings with a suite of training and professional development opportunities. Additional priorities include increasing recognition of EEQ CERT at the state and federal level, including departments of corrections, and leading an expansion across the work-based continuum to include secondary education and workforce development. The new QA Commons’ team, along with its collaborative partners, will work to strengthen and scale initiatives and reaffirm the commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion.