How did you start out with AACRAO?
After my 28-year military career I got started as an independent consultant doing oil exploration in Saudi Arabia as well as process redesign and project management. Jerry Sullivan, AACRAO’s former Executive Director sought me out to do a review of some of AACRAO’s programs and business units. In 2007 after I returned from a combat tour in Afghanistan I joined AACRAO full time.
So now you are the Associate Executive Director for International Initiatives – what does that entail?
Most of my time goes towards developing relationships with organizations external to AACRAO that have common interests in what’s going on in the world of international education.
The work varies in the kind of impact it has. Sometimes the effect is immediate, like our recent work with the French Ministry of Education on what their engineering degree is equivalent to in America. After examining both systems, we agreed that such a degree could be considered for continuing education, and so AACRAO updated the Electronic Database for Global Education (EDGE) to reflect that. We are re-examining French business degrees right now in much the same way.
Other times the information we gather for our members may be more informational in nature. The key is to take the AACRAO name into the international community so that we become known for the strengths of the association and what our members can do to support the international student.
Speaking of international education, AACRAO will be hosting the Groningen Declaration Meeting this year – can you tell us a little bit about that?
The goal of the group is to establish common student data portability around the world to better able student mobility and study. It is an ambitious project involving a number of nations, credential evaluation services, technology providers and other resources. It is an effort that is really at the forefront of the future in securing records, easing the demands on students and providing a singular means for success
What do you do in your off-time, when you aren’t travelling the globe?
Nothing particularly noteworthy – chase grandkids, play some golf, enjoy time with my wife of 45 years and in the Winter – I curl.