Eight higher education leaders have joined the WASC Senior College and University Commission, collectively representing decades of experience across institutional leadership, academic affairs, finance, data, policy, international education, and student success.

Their terms began July 1, 2026:

• Taiwo Ande is senior associate provost at California Lutheran University. He provides strategic oversight for educational effectiveness, institutional research, faculty development, and other academic and administrative units, drawing on nearly three decades of higher education and organizational experience.
• Lance Askildson serves as provost and senior vice president and professor of linguistics at Chaminade University of Honolulu. He leads Chaminade’s academic enterprise and institutional strategic planning and brings experience in accreditation, international education and language learning technology.
• Adela de la Torre is president of San Diego State University, where she has led efforts to expand the university’s research enterprise, strengthen student success, and advance SDSU’s regional and global impact. An economist and public health researcher, de la Torre became SDSU’s ninth president in 2018.
• Yolanda J. Gorman serves as Interim Associate Vice Chancellor of Alumni Affairs and Advancement Services and Chief Financial Officerfor the UCLA Foundation and Investment Company . A former senior advisor and chief of staff to the UCLA Chancellor, she brings extensive experience in strategic planning, governance, finance, advancement, and nonprofit leadership.
• Elise McNeely, public member, serves as head of data at Peterson’s, where she leads strategy and development for postsecondary data products and institutional reporting. McNeely has more than two decades of experience in higher education data policy, research, and analytics.
• Gonzalo Mendieta has served as rector of Universidad de las Américas since 2019, after previously serving as Academic Vice Rector. He has held academic and roles in Ecuador and the U.S. and has consulted in statistical modelling, market research, epidemiology, system engineering, and human factors.
• Christian Osmeña is vice president for enterprise planning at Arizona State University, where he helps guide planning that advances the ASU Public Enterprise. Before joining ASU, Osmeña spent more than a decade in California state government, including service as vice chancellor for the California Community Colleges. He also held roles in the California Department of Finance and the Office of the Governor of California, including as assistant to the Governor’s chief of staff and deputy cabinet secretary.
• Brian M. Thomason is vice president for financial affairs at the University of Portland, effective July 13, 2026. A licensed CPA, Thomason has more than 25 years of experience in finance and accounting, including leadership roles at Chapman University, Pepperdine University, and J.P. Morgan.

Commissioner Mary Marcy, president emerita of Dominican University of California, succeeds Tambascia as Commission chair. Sharon Mayo (public member), senior counsel at Arnold & Porter, is the Commission’s new vice chair.

Commissioners Lauren Asher (public member), managing director for postsecondary strategy and innovation, Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching; Anita Borja Enriquez, president, University of Guam; Tracy Poon Tambascia, interim vice president of academic affairs, Whittier College; Kim Wilcox, chancellor emeritus, UC Riverside; and Shawn Whalen, chief of staff, San Jose State University, concluded their service on June 30.

Serving as the Commission’s decision-making body, Commissioners set strategic priorities, define the Standards for institutional quality, and determine the accreditation status of member institutions. Each spring, the presidents of WSCUC-accredited institutions elect new Commissioners from a slate developed by WSCUC’s Nominating Committee. Commissioners serve three-year terms and may be reappointed once.

View the complete list of WSCUC Commissioners.