• WSCUC Adds New Commissioners, Thanks Departing Commission Members

    July 31, 2024 - WSCUC

At its June 28, 2024, business meeting, WSCUC welcomed four new members to its Commission and thanked departing Commissioners for their service. New Commissioners began their terms on July 1, 2024:

  • David M. Carlisle is president and CEO of Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science (CDU), a private HBCI. He is professor of medicine and public health at CDU, adjunct professor of medicine at UCLA and was formerly director of the California Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development.
  • Ashley Finley, public member, is vice president of research and senior advisor to the president for the American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U). Dr. Finley previously served as AAC&U’s senior director of assessment and research and national evaluator for the Bringing Theory to Practice Project, a statewide initiative dedicated to holistic and inclusive learning for all students. She also served as associate vice president for academic affairs and dean at Dominican University of California.
  • Maureen O’Connor is president of Palo Alto University (PAU), a private nonprofit institution dedicated to education research and clinical training in psychology, counseling, and social work. Before PAU, O’Connor held leadership roles at City University of New York and served in numerous governance positions at the American Psychological Association.
  • Peter Senkbeil is vice president, special assistant to the president at Concordia University Irvine. Senkbeil is a long-serving faculty member in Concordia’s theatre department and was previously the institution’s provost, associate provost, and accreditation liaison officer.

“WSCUC’s new Commissioners bring substantial experience and fresh perspectives to the Commission,” said Commission Chair Tracy Poon Tambascia. “Their diverse expertise will enhance WSCUC’s impact and accelerate progress toward our strategic goals.”

Commissioners Thomas Fleming, special financial officer (retired), Loyola Marymount University; Sharon B. Hamill, interim executive director, CSU Shiley Haynes Institute for Palliative Care; Joseph Hoey, vice provost for academic services, National University; Thomas Parham, president, CSU Dominguez Hills; and Susan D. Phillips, professor of education policy, University at Albany – SUNY concluded their service on July 1, 2024. Commissioner Mary Pedersen, interim director, School of Education at Colorado State University, succeeds Hamill as Commission Secretary. Commissioners Tracy Poon Tambascia, Commission Chair, professor of higher education, USC; Leo Martinez, Commission Vice Chair, dean emeritus and Albert Abramson professor of law emeritus, UC Law San Francisco; and Archibald Asawa, Commission Treasurer, executive vice president for finance and administration and chief financial officer, Soka University of America; were reelected as officers of the Commission.

WSCUC’s Commission comprises a diverse mix of visionaries with expertise in academic and student affairs, assessment, finance, policy, law, and other proficiencies that support the agency’s continued focus on institutional quality. They establish the Standards for institutional quality and processes for review, act on accreditation status of individual institutions, and set WSCUC’s strategic goals. Commissioners are elected by presidents of WSCUC-accredited institutions and serve an initial three-year term, with the opportunity for re-election to a second term. Nominations occur every fall and are coordinated by WSCUC’s Nominating Committee.

The complete roster of WSCUC Commissioners is available here.