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ACCSCT Commissioners
Paul Bott (Ed.D., University of California- Los Angeles)
Public Commissioner - Chairman of the Commission*
Paul Bott recently retired as a professor and professional studies department chair at California State University-Long Beach, where he has been a faculty member for 30 years. Prior to his tenure at California State, he taught in secondary and community college programs and served as a combat engineer in the U.S. Army. Bott is the author of two texts which are widely used in occupational education teacher preparation, “Teaching Your Occupation to Others: A Guide to Surviving the First Year” and “Testing and Assessment in Occupational and Technical Education.” He has twice served on statewide task forces to determine standards for teacher preparation in California and serves on the board of several Long Beach community-based organizations. He has also been active in professional and fraternal organizations including membership in the Association of Career and Technical Education since 1969 and the National Association of Industrial and Technical Teacher Educators since 1976. He is a life member of Phi Kappa Phi, the higher education honors society. This is Bott’s second term as a public commissioner for ACCSCT, and he has volunteered as an ACCSCT education specialist on numerous on-site evaluations at member schools. He also holds an M.A. from UCLA, a B.V.E. from California State University at Los Angeles, an A.A. from Santa Monica College, and has pursued teacher training at UCLA. Bott’s teaching interests (when he gets to teach) include teacher education, research methods and cultural issues.
Jack Forrest
School Commissioner - Vice-Chairman of the Commission*
Jack Forrest currently serves as the President/CEO and Director of Education America, the parent company of Remington Colleges, where Forrest also serves as President/CEO and Chairman. Prior to his current post, Forrest led a distinguished career in the financial services industry and served in management positions with Ernst and Young, LLP and Hollis, McClain and Howell, CPAs. Forrest has served as the President of Financial Subsidiary at Castle Industries, President/CEO and Director of Environmental Systems Company, and worked as a private investor and independent consultant. Previously, in 2004, Forrest served a one year term as a School Commissioner with ACCSCT.
Daniel Levinson
School Commissioner - Secretary of the Commission*
Daniel Levinson is the southwest group vice president for Education Management Corporation (EDMC), one of the largest providers of private postsecondary education in North America. Levinson leverages more than 15 years of education management experience in overseeing the operations of 11 schools owned by EDMC in California, Arizona and Nevada, including six Art Institutes, two Argosy Universities, and three Brown-Mackie Colleges. Prior to his expanded role within EDMC, Levinson was president of The Art Institute of California-San Diego from 2000–2005. His tenure with The Art Institutes also includes roles as dean of academic affairs at The Art Institute of Phoenix and both academic director and audio faculty instructor positions with The Art Institute of Philadelphia’s School of Communications. Prior to The Art Institutes, Levinson enjoyed a diverse professional music career, including owning and operating a New Jersey-based recording studio and working as a staff keyboardist and pianist in the main showrooms at the Tropicana and Atlantis casinos in Atlantic City. Levinson holds a M.Ed. in educational leadership from Northern Arizona University and a MB in music composition from Philadelphia College of the Performing Arts.
Ronald S. Blumenthal
School Commissioner - Treasurer of the Commission*
Ronald S. Blumenthal has more than 30 years of experience with accreditation and has been associated with Kaplan Higher Education since 1993. Since 2001, Blumenthal has served as the Senior Vice President, Administration & General Manager with Kaplan Higher Education. In 2003, Blumenthal was appointed by the Secretary of Education to the National Advisory Committee for Institutional Quality and Integrity (NACIQI), which is charged with advising the Secretary on matters related to accreditation and to the eligibility and certification process for institutions of higher education. Additionally, from 2004 through 2007, Blumenthal served on the Board of Directors for the Career College Association, where he was Chairman of the Bylaws Committee in 2006. Blumenthal earned a Bachelor or Arts from the University of Missouri and a Master of Social Work from Washington University.
Jerry Atkinson (Ph.D., Colorado State University)
Public Commissioner
Dr. Jerry Atkinson most recently served the Colorado Community College System as its Compliance Manager, and was responsible for managing over 400 technical, trade and industrial education programs at the secondary and post-secondary levels in Colorado. Dr. Atkinson has been involved with ACCSCT as an Education Specialist since 1980, and in 2003, was selected as the ACCSCT Education Specialist of the Year. Dr. Atkinson earned his Ph.D. from Colorado State University, and currently is an education consultant specializing in preparing individuals for teaching careers and developing curricula for trade and technical programs.
Karen Burgess
School Commissioner
Karen Burgess has served as the President and Executive Director of Metropolitan Career Center located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania since 2000. Burgess has over 25 years of experience in adult and technical education, and in 2002, served on a steering committee for the Regional Workforce Partnership, a group of educators and non-profit leaders dedicated to engaging private companies in workforce partnerships with community providers. In 2004, Burgess worked with the Workforce Alliance in Washington D.C. to advocate for workforce development issues at the federal level. Since 2006, Burgess has served on the Board of Director for the Pennsylvania Association of Private School Administrators, which represents more than 320 private career colleges and schools in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Burgess has also been active with ACCSCT in the peer review process, serving as a Team Leader since 2006. Burgess earned a Bachelor of Social Work from the University of South Florida
Mary Jane Fehr (Ph.D., Arizona State University)
School Commissioner
Dr. Fehr serves as the corporate director of regulatory affairs for Alta Colleges where she oversees the accreditation, licensing and regulatory affairs for 16 schools in four states. Her career in accreditation and licensure began nearly 20 years ago when she served as the national director for accreditation for the DeVry system of colleges, and she also brings to the Commission a distinguished background in government relations. Prior to her tenure at Alta Colleges, she was an executive director for the southwest office of Educational Testing Service, the world’s largest testing and educational research company. Fehr has been a long-time volunteer for ACCSCT as a popular team leader for on-site school evaluations. She has taught at four national universities, earned a masters degree and doctoral degree from Arizona State University where she graduated with a 4.0 grade point average, and holds a bachelors degree with honors from the University of Wisconsin.
Susan B. Johnson
School Commissioner
For over 30 years, Susan B. Johnson has served the Gemological Institute of America (GIA), and during her tenure she has been active in several critical institutional initiatives including: managing curriculum development, directing alumni development and funding raising efforts, serving as a faculty member, and also serving as the Dean of Students. In her current position as the Director of Education Administration, a member of GIA’s Executive Leadership Team, Johnson participates in all aspects of operating the school’s global educational business, which serves 16,000 students annually, and has been intimately involved with the institution’s accreditation, compliance, and licensure endeavors. Johnson has also been active as a Team Leader with ACCSCT, and is a member of the Association for Career and Technical Education. Johnson earned a Bachelor’s degree from National University.
Marcia Ann Langsjoen (JD - University of Illinois-Urbana-Champaign)
Public Commissioner
Marcia Ann Langsjoen served the Illinois Board of Higher Education from 1979 to 2005, most recently as the Senior Associate Director/Staff Counsel for Academic Affairs. In this capacity, Marcia prepared policy analyses relating to regulatory responsibilities of the Board, administered Illinois statutes for approval and review of independent colleges and universities, and was the primary staff liaison on accreditation issues. Marcia earned her Juris Doctorate in 1995 from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and is a member of the American Bar Association and Illinois State Bar Association. Marcia is currently an education consultant providing assistance to higher education institutions seeking approval in the state of Illinois.
Rick Saliba
School Commissioner
Since 2001, Rick Saliba has been the Vice President and Director of Operations for Platt College/Oklahoma Health Academy, where his primary duties include providing leadership to the organization and managing daily operations, including being responsible for the schools’ accreditation and compliance initiatives. Saliba has worked in the field of education since 1990 where he has been actively engaged in the instruction, development, and oversight of various innovative education programs. Since 2003, Saliba has been one of the most active Team Leaders with ACCSCT and in 2005, he was selected as the Team Leader of the Year due to his significant contributions to the Commission. Saliba earned a Bachelor’s degree from East Central University.
Allan Sharpe
School Commissioner
Allan Sharpe has served Western Technical College for over 19 years and currently serves as President and Chief Operating Officer of the two (2) campus system which serves 1200 students, located in El Paso, Texas. Sharpe’s primary responsibilities include school operations, instructional leadership, staffing, faculty and program development, and all accreditation endeavors. Sharpe has been an active advocate for the postsecondary career education community throughout his tenure, serving as a Board Member for the Career Colleges and Schools of Texas Association from 2004 to 2007, the Upper Rio Grand Tech Prep STW Consortium from 1993 to 2007, and as an active member of the Greater El Paso Chamber of Commerce, serving on the Industry Retention and Expansion Committee. Sharpe has also been involved as a volunteer with ACCSCT since 1999, serving as a Team leader on numerous on-site evaluations, as well as being a member of the Commission’s Appeal Panel.
Beth Wilson
School Commissioner
For the past 30 years, Beth Wilson has been involved in the quality workforce education sector and has been with Corinthian Colleges, Inc. (“CCi”) since 1995. Wilson is the current Executive Vice President of Operations for CCi, where she is responsible for campus operational support, which provides a cohesive integrated approach to support services. Along with developing and implementing CCi strategic objectives, Wilson imparts overall direction for CCi’s human resources, organizational development, real estate, accreditation and licensure, curriculum, purchasing, student financial services, and student career services. Previously, Wilson served as a Commissioner for ACCSCT from 1999 through 2003. She earned a Bachelor’s degree from California State College as well as a Master’s in Business Administration from National University.
David Wolf (Ph.D. - Stanford University)
Public Commissioner
David Wolf, Ph.D. most recently served as the Executive Director for the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges for the Western Association of Schools and Colleges until his retirement in 2001. Wolf has also served as the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs for California Maritime Academy, and as the Vice President for Academic Affairs for Santa Rosa Junior College. Since his retirement in 2001, Wolf has worked extensively with the Stephen S. Weiner Campaign for College Opportunity, which dedicates its efforts towards drawing attention to, and assuring the future of, access to higher education in California, and has served as a Board Member for the Hong Kong Council for Academic Accreditation. Wolf earned his Bachelor of Science and Master of Arts degrees from the University of California at Berkeley and his Ph.D. from Stanford University.
*Denotes ACCSCT Executive Committee
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