Executive Team

CASAS has been at the forefront of adult education and workforce development initiatives since 1980. Our leadership team’s experience and expertise reflect a deep understanding and dedication to serving all adult learners – now and into the future.

	*President* — *Jane Egüez* is the president of CASAS and employs her substantial project management and leadership skills to direct the design, development, and implementation of CASAS initiatives. Prior to assuming the role of president, she served as vice president for program development focusing primarily on standards-based program development and overseeing quality training and marketing endeavors. Her interests and expertise additionally extend to workforce literacy as she has led teams of workforce professionals in the development and expansion of the Workforce Skills Certification System and other workforce literacy initiatives in the United States and abroad. President Egüez has worked and taught in the United States, Mexico, and South America – all experiences confirming her commitment to the importance of education in building and strengthening families and communities universally.
	*Senior Director* — Patricia Rickard is the founder and past president of CASAS. She is recognized nationally and internationally for leadership in educational research, assessment, and evaluation. She has directed the development and implementation of large-scale assessment and evaluation systems for adult education and training programs throughout the nation and abroad. Director Rickard has been a driving force behind the growth and expansion of CASAS in testing initiatives, computer-based testing, and software development for programs serving a diverse adult education population. She encourages staff to participate in projects of interest as they broaden their knowledge and ensure their ability to meet the increasing demand for the services CASAS offers.
	Chief Financial Officer/Director of Research and Analysis — *Debalina Ganguli* leads a team of accountants and others responsible for establishing and monitoring internal control procedures for acquisitions, fiscal, and accounting processes. Additionally, she manages research and analysis operations and oversees an accomplished team of researchers with significant experience in the field of adult education. As her expertise lies in statistical analysis, programming, and psychometrics, she is responsible for ensuring the development of valid and reliable testing instruments for both computer-based and paper-based testing. In line with this responsibility, she oversees the production of state and federal reports, special study reports, and data collection efforts.

Leadership Team

	*Program Development Director — Laura Fetter* provides strategic planning leadership to advancing CASAS goals and objectives that support adult educators and workforce partners nationally. These goals include legislative advocacy, fostering meaningful client relationships, and strengthening training initiatives rooted in adult learning theory. She has more than 30 years of experience in the field of adult education, as an ESL instructor, program administrator and school board member. Her experience overseeing the largest WIOA, Title II grant in California gives her a deep understanding of the operational complexities involved in improving program performance, forging WIOA, Title I partnerships and the importance of telling a compelling success story.
	*Assessment Development Program Manager — Daniel Esko* oversees all assessment development activities at CASAS, including assessment design, item development, and assessment validation. Esko directs the activities of the Item and Test Development Department, including assessment specialists, data analysts, and others. He works in collaboration with research and analysis specialists at CASAS at to ensure that all assessments are valid, reliable, and responsive to the needs of the community. Daniel Esko has developed large and small-scale assessments for organizations both in the United States and Asia for Adult Basic Education, Adult Secondary Education, and English as a Second Language. He is integral to the completion of CASAS assessment development projects.
	*Senior Advisor* — *Linda Taylor* is a senior advisor on all facets of the design, development, and implementation of standardized test instruments for English as a Second Language, ESL-Citizenship, adult basic education, adult secondary education, and correctional education at the federal level. She has developed assessments in reading, listening, speaking, and writing for populations in this country and in Central America and Asia. She provides technical assistance and informs staff on research projects in adult education policy, curriculum, and assessment. Her experience has been key to the success of developing remote testing at CASAS.
	*Accountability Director — Jay Wright* manages training and technical assistance for federal and California accountability requirements, including California WIOA, Title II: AEFLA federal reporting requirements and the California Adult Education Program (CAEP). He has worked in several areas of adult education including special needs, program development, and data analysis. He applies this experience to improving programs and instruction and identifying issues that require targeted technical assistance. With his extensive knowledge of federal and state reporting requirements, he provides a variety of training workshops to guide schools and agencies with assessment implementation and data management strategies and procedures.
	*Senior Research Associate — Jared Jacobsen* supports the director of research and analysis to ensure research methods and procedures used at CASAS are justifiable and systematic. He contributes to ongoing studies and reports and evaluates evidence of the reliability and validity of all assessments. Collaborating with psychometricians, he analyzes the psychometric properties of all assessments and reports all technical information. Working with the senior project manager, Jacobsen oversees assessment fairness and sensitivity studies to ensure equity and diverse multicultural and gender representation of all CASAS-developed assessments. He is instrumental in developing and managing new research projects.
	*National External Diploma Program (NEDP) Director — Margaret Kirkpatrick* manages NEDP, a pathway to a high school diploma. She oversees outreach, technical assistance, marketing, training, and new program implementation, as well as educational research to ensure that NEDP is in ongoing program improvement. These activities support the goal of better serving the states that offer NEDP as a high school diploma pathway. In addition, Kirkpatrick has more than 30 years of experience in adult education, in roles ranging from teacher and adult school principal to state director of adult education.