Staff and Consultants
Terry Abramson,consultant, provides strategic counsel to colleges, universities, and organizations that support them; her areas of expertise include communications strategy, branding and positioning, partnership development, fundraising, program development and management, and training and facilitation. Abramson has developed and marketed educational programs at the University of Maryland and the George Washington University, managed fundraising communications at NYU and developed online curricula for the University of Phoenix. She has also worked with a range of higher education organizations, including the College Board, the Lumina Foundation for Education, and the Georgetown Center for Education and the Workforce, just to name a few. Abramson has served as an adjunct faculty member at Mesa Community College and Montgomery College, and is currently an adjunct faculty member at Strayer University Online. Abramson lives in Washington, DC.
David A. Longanecker is the president of the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE) in Boulder, Colorado. WICHE is a regional compact between 15 Western states created to assure access and excellence in higher education through collaboration and resource sharing among the higher education systems of the West. Previously, Longanecker served for six years as the assistant secretary for postsecondary education at the U.S. Department of Education. Prior to that, he was the state higher education executive officer (SHEEO) in Colorado and Minnesota. He was also the principal analyst for higher education for the Congressional Budget Office. Longanecker has served on numerous boards and commissions. He has written extensively on a range of higher education issues. His primary interests in higher education are: access, promoting student and institutional performance, teacher education, finance, the efficient use of educational technologies, and academic collaboration in Canada, the United States, and Mexico. He holds an Ed.D. from Stanford University, an M.A. in student personnel work from the George Washington University, and a B.A. in sociology from Washington State University.
Demarée K. Michelau is the director of policy analysis at the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE). The author of numerous education reports, policy briefs, and magazine articles, she has experience in higher education policy on issues such as college affordability and access, accelerated learning options, K-16 reform, and postsecondary remedial education. Previously, she worked for the National Conference of State Legislatures as a policy specialist. Michelau received her bachelor's degree in public law from Northern Illinois University and her master's degree in political science from the University of Colorado at Boulder where she is currently a Ph.D. candidate.
Russell Poulin is the associate director of WCET – the Western Cooperative of Educational Telecommunications. WCET’s mission is to leverage technology to improve instruction and student learning and to increase access to quality higher education. Based in Boulder, CO, WCET’s members represent 46 states and 8 countries. Russ organizes the information-sharing activities among WCET’s members and directs EduTools.info, which provides independent reviews of educational software and courses. He consults on distance education planning projects, and serves on the editorial board of Innovate. For WCET, Russ has co-directed projects on interstate program sharing and on technology costing. Previously, Russ coordinated distance education activities for the North Dakota University System. Russ earned his bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Economics from the University of Colorado at Denver and a master’s in Statistics and Research Methodology from the University of Northern Colorado.
Brian T. Prescott is the director of policy research in the Policy Analysis and Research unit at the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE). In this role, he has primary responsibility for obtaining and analyzing quantitative data with public policy relevance. He is the author of the 7th edition of Knocking at the College Door, WICHE’s widely-used projections of high school graduates by state and race/ethnicity. Additionally, he oversees an annual report on tuition and fees charges at public higher education institutions in the West, annually prepares a regional benchmarks report, maintains a web-based statistical fact book, and authors occasional policy briefs and chapters. Prescott also has experience working with states on issues of access, success, affordability, accountability, workforce development, and accelerated learning options. Prior to joining WICHE in August 2004, Prescott worked in the Office of State Governmental Relations at the University of Virginia, where he also earned a Ph.D. in higher education. He also holds degrees from the University of Iowa and the College of William and Mary.
James Purcell, director of the Arkansas Department of Higher Education, previously served as associate vice chancellor for strategic planning and analysis for the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education. Jim actively participated in the development of the Oklahoma State Regents Public Agenda and played a key leadership role in advancing two of the six agenda items: a state-wide adult degree completion program and higher education’s response to the healthcare worker shortage. He has served in positions in institutional research, planning, and assessment in public, private, two-year, and four-year institutions in Alabama, Louisiana, and Georgia. Academic preparation includes a BS in Public Administration from Auburn University, an M. Ed. in Counseling from the University of Montevallo, and an Ed.D. in Higher Education Administration from the University of Alabama. Jim’s efforts in institutional effectiveness are wide and varied with extensive experience in student placement, academic and student affairs program review, academic program development, program entrance requirements, course evaluations, grade distributions, student retention and graduation. He has served as a speaker for ACT on student assessment in five states and served as a keynote speaker for six state or regional conferences on institutional research and assessment. He has served as a consultant to more than a dozen college campuses, organizations and businesses. Active in professional organizations, Jim was president of the Southern Association for Institutional Research in 2003-2004.
LeRoy Walser has substantial professional development, training, administrative, evaluation, and instructional experience at multiple levels of education and business including local school districts, federal government, universities, private sector, and social service organizations. He has researched, designed, and implemented new education and work delivery systems based on continuous improvement strategies and quality theories, trained and managed staffs, evaluated projects and programs, and provides organizational development consultations for education and private sector organizations. With expertise at setting up data rich environments where data can be used as an effective management tool, preparing organization staff to be ready for accepting responsibility for managing growth and improvement, and developing strategic collaborations among community organizations. Dr. Walser is available to apply his knowledge and skills in evaluation, grant preparation, and development strategies for most organizations, and can do it in English or Spanish. Dr. Walser is CEO of his own Oklahoma based company, Choosing Excellence LLC.
