Staff
Jennifer V. Kim
Sr. Director of Operations
Jennifer Kim, PESC’s Senior Director of Operations, is a seasoned professional with over two decades of experience in community-building, marketing, and event planning. She provides essential strategic and operational leadership, acting as the key contact for PESC members, sponsors, and committees. Jennifer is responsible for implementing the Board of Directors’ vision and strategic initiatives. Passionate about the adoption of data standards, she actively identifies and engages organizations interested in implementing standards within the education community. Additionally, Jennifer is responsible for all operational aspects of PESC, including organizing and coordinating its meetings, retreats, Data Summits, and external conference and trade show exhibitions.
Board of Directors
Monterey Sims
Chair
Monterey Sims is the Director of Admissions and Evaluation at the University of Phoenix and Board Chair of the Postsecondary Electronic Standards Council (PESC). With over 30 years of experience in higher education, she has led national initiatives to advance electronic transcript exchange, interoperability, and student mobility through her work with PESC, AACRAO, and 1EdTech.
Monterey Sims is the Director of Admissions and Evaluation at the University of Phoenix and currently serves as Board Chair of the Postsecondary Electronic Standards Council (PESC). With more than 30 years of experience in higher education, she has led numerous process improvement initiatives, including the implementation of Electronic Transcript Exchange (ETX), Electronic Data Interchange (EDI), and Optical Character Recognition (OCR) for academic transcripts.
At the University of Phoenix, Monterey oversees the Office of Admissions Document Processing division, managing the acquisition and evaluation of admission documents and transcripts from prior institutions. She and her team champion electronic transcript partnerships to streamline operations and eliminate barriers for students.
A recognized leader in advancing interoperability and student mobility, Monterey contributes her expertise through active involvement with PESC and the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO). She serves on AACRAO’s Standardization of Postsecondary Education Electronic Data Exchange (SPEEDE) Committee and Technology Advisory Council as well as the eTransCalifornia Steering Committee, and 1EdTech Digital Credential Project Group.
Melissa Buckley
Vice Chair
Melissa Buckley, Senior Director of Strategy and Market Insights at the National Student Clearinghouse, has 15+ years of experience in digital credentials, workforce development, and sales operations. She leads initiatives to expand non-credit education data and supports the Education Solutions sales team. Melissa is also a member of Philadelphia’s Neurodiversity Employment Network.
Melissa Buckley is the Senior Director of Strategy and Market Insights at the National Student Clearinghouse, where she has spent over 15 years in various roles focused on operational efficiency, client engagement, and strategic partnerships. Her expertise spans supporting the functions of the Registrar, Financial Aid, Institutional Research, and most recently Workforce Development and Continuing Education. With deep knowledge of industry and digital credentials, she leads initiatives to expand the Clearinghouse’s dataset and enhance its value in non-credit education and alternative credentials. Additionally, Melissa supports the national Education Solutions sales team by overseeing sales operations, performance metrics, sales enablement, and training. She is also a member of Philadelphia’s Neurodiversity Employment Network and a strong advocate for neurodiversity inclusion.
Kristi Blabaum
Treasurer
Kristi, a Systems Integration Analyst at Ascendium Education Solutions, boasts 27 years of financial aid expertise. She’s been pivotal in industry initiatives like CommonLine processing and PESC standards development. As a PESC Board member since 2011 and Chair of the Change Control Board for 11 years, Kristi ensures uniform decision-making and collaboration. She’s led the creation of standards like the Student Loan Portfolio Detail Report and contributed to the Student Aid User Group and NCHELP’s Electronic Standards Committee.
Kristi brings over 27 years of financial aid experience to her current position as a Systems Integration Analyst at Ascendium Education Solutions (formerly Great Lakes Higher Education). For over two decades she has been a leader in many industry initiatives such as CommonLine processing, development of Common Record: CommonLine (CRC), and guiding it through the process to become a PESC Approved Standard.
Kristi has been a PESC Board member since 2011 and has been serving on the Standards Development Forum’s Steering Committee since 2009. She has been an active member on the Change Control Board (CCB) for 14 years and has been the Chair for the last 11 years. Through these leadership positions, in collaboration with the Technical Advisory Board (TAB) and as CCB Chair, Kristi is a positive influence and champion of PESC initiatives. She ensures public collaboration, feedback and guidance to every PESC development workgroup and to external organizations and initiatives looking to analyze, compare and map PESC Approved Standards with new and/or existing data sets, ensuring uniform decision-making and consistent design methodology.
Previously she served as the Co-Chair of the Development Workgroup within PESC leading the creation and publication of the Student Loan Portfolio Detail Report now a PESC Approved Standard and is involved in the ongoing Student Aid User Group. For 8 years, Kristi held the position of Co-Chair of the Origination Standards Advisory Team (OSAT) within NCHELP’s Electronic Standards Committee (ESC) setting the data exchange standards for the Student Loan Industry.
Mark Cohen
Secretary
Mark Cohen is the Product Manager for Infrastructure and Data Services at the California Community Colleges Technology Center. He oversees a portfolio that includes the statewide Data Warehouse, SuperGlue (an integrations framework), the Multiple Measures Placement Service, and eTranscript California, a statewide initiative facilitating electronic transcript exchange across the California Community Colleges, CSU, and UC systems. Mark previously served on the PESC board from 2014-2015 and has been actively involved in various PESC workgroups since 2003, including Co-Chairing the EdExchange Workgroup and Steering Committee, and PESC’s Education Records User Group.
Mark Cohen joined the California Community Colleges Technology Center in 2015. In his role at the CCC Tech Center, Mark is responsible for establishing product vision, strategy, and systemwide objectives, which include roadmap development, requirements gathering, leading steering committees and advisory groups, presenting, and serving as the point of contact to the California Community Colleges (CCC) Chancellor’s Office, the Community Colleges, and other stakeholders. Mark leads the eTranscript California Steering Committee and Data Warehouse Advisory Group, and has contributed to the Governor’s Cradle-to-Career initiative. Funded by grants from the CCC Chancellor’s Office, the CCC Technology Center facilitates systemwide technology projects for the system’s 116 colleges, the largest system of higher education in the United States.
Before joining the CCCTC, Mark worked at Parchment, which he co-founded in 2002 as Docufide. At Parchment, Mark ran product development from the company’s founding through its rebranding as Parchment, after which he served as SVP of Market Strategy, where he launched new products, led industry relations, and acted as the company’s Chief Security and Privacy Officer.
Active in PESC since 2003, Mark serves as Co-Chair of the EdExchange Workgroup, which he has been active in since its inception. He has also served on the PESC Board of Directors (representing Parchment) from 2014-2015, Co-Chaired the Education Records User Group (ERUG) and CDS Taskforce, and participated in the workgroup that developed the High School XML transcript schema.
Bryant Faust
Board Member
Bryant Faust, currently Associate Dean and Registrar at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, brings 35 years of higher education experience. With roles ranging from researcher to registrar, he prioritizes technology to streamline processes. Previously at Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, he served as University Registrar and Instructor of Pharmacology. Faust holds degrees from Southeastern Louisiana University, the University of New Orleans, and the University of Alabama.
Bryant Faust currently serve as Associate Dean and Registrar at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Over the past 35 years, he has worked in higher education as a researcher, faculty member, information technology analyst and registrar. In each of these roles, he has focused on utilizing technology to enhance existing processes and improve outcomes.
Previously he served as University Registrar and Instructor of Pharmacology at Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center in New Orleans. He is a graduate of Southeastern Louisiana University, earned a Masters of Arts in Science Teaching from the University of New Orleans, and completed his doctoral studies in Educational Leadership, Policy, and Technical Studies at the University of Alabama.
Alex Jackl
Board Member
Alex is a technology strategist, futurist, and data scientist with 21 years of experience in education. He specializes in ecosystem development, standards utilization, and modern architectures to create sustainable educational systems. As Chair of the North American Technical Board for A4L Community and Co-Chair of PESC Competencies & Credentials Task Force, he leads interoperability efforts. Alex has contributed to projects like CEDS, NEDM, SDPC, and LER/ILR, collaborating with organizations like the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation and the White House.
Alex is a technology strategist, futurist, and data scientist who specializes in developing eco-systems that support learners and educators. He is a leader in developing, maintaining and in the practical application of the use of standards and data. His focus is on the implementation of mature, modern architectures and strategies. He provides vision and strategy around developing approaches, projects, and programs to create the future of education now and to build systems that are sustainable and can stay modern with as little TCO as possible. Alex works in the Pre-Kindergarten to K12 to PostSecondary to Workforce educational space, primarily, though not exclusively, in the United States. Over the last 21 years he has been focusing on enterprise data and system architecture in the district, state and federal education agency space.
He is also the Chair of the North American Technical Board of the Access For Learning (A4L) Community, who support the Schools Interoperability Framework (SIF), and the Co-Chair of the PESC Competencies & Credentials Task Force, and the Reusable Competency Definitions Workgroup for IEEE. He has worked on Common Education Data Standards (CEDS), the National Education Data Model (NEDM), the Student Data Privacy Consortium (SDPC), and the LER/ILR projects with the T3 Innovation Network, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation, and the White House
Rob Layton
Board Member
Rob Layton, Ellucian’s Senior Vice President of Global Research & Development, is a product and technology leader dedicated to delivering solutions that maximize both current and future business opportunities. He possesses a deep expertise in product development, strategic analysis and planning, and IT infrastructure and governance. Throughout his career, he has successfully led startups and transformed mature organizations, demonstrating a versatile leadership style. He thrives in fast-paced, rapidly changing environments, consistently driving innovation and growth.
Karen McCredie
Board Member
Karen McCredie serves as the Executive Director at EducationPlannerBC, managing centralized application services and data exchange. Handling over 260,000 applications and 650,000 transcripts annually, EducationPlannerBC supports 23 post-secondary institutions in British Columbia, as well as transcript delivery to Ontario and Alberta. Karen actively participates in committees and councils, focusing on student mobility and success. With over 28 years in the British Columbia post-secondary sector, including 9 years as Registrar at two institutions, Karen brings extensive experience in student services.
Karen McCredie is the Executive Director at EducationPlannerBC, the provincially funded agency for British Columbia, Canada, responsible for managing the centralized application service and the data exchange hub. EducationPlannerBC also provides hundreds of virtual and in-person events showcasing the value and diversity of post-secondary programming within the province. EducationPlannerBC handles over 260,000 applications and 650,000 transcripts annually for 23 post-secondary institutions in British Columbia as well as transcript delivery to the provinces of Ontario and Alberta.
Karen participates on a wide range of committees (Digital Services Hub Committee, Micro-credential Advisory Committee, BCCAT Admissions Committee), councils (BCCAT Council) and working groups all in support of student mobility and success.
Prior to joining EducationPlannerBC in 2019, Karen held a variety of roles in student services within the British Columbia post-secondary sector for over 28 years including 9 years as Registrar at two institutions.
Melissa Loble
Board Member
Melissa Loble is a seasoned education technology executive and business leader, currently serving as the Chief Academic Officer at Instructure. With a strong focus on customer experience, she is passionate about innovating and delivering digital alternatives to traditional teaching and learning practices on a large scale. Her expertise and leadership are also reflected in her role as an early-stage advisor.
As Instructure’s Chief Academic Officer, Melissa is a champion for crucial customer-focused topics like data usage and privacy—and it’s her personal mission to drive innovation in their customer experience and enable customers to leverage their solutions in engaging and effective learning environments. Melissa has spent 20 years in educational technology working for a number of technology suppliers and educational institutions, as well as teaching leadership courses on managing technology for educational change. She has a master’s degree in educational policy from Teachers College, Columbia University and an MBA from Columbia Business School.
David K. Moldoff
Board Member
David K. Moldoff is the Founder and CEO of AcademyOne, Inc., a leader in higher education technology. With over 34 years of entrepreneurial experience, he focuses on technology infrastructure and strategic partnerships. David previously held senior roles at SCT before founding AcademyOne in 2005. He’s actively involved in PESC, serving on various committees and task forces, and played a key role in forming collaborative initiatives like CommIT.
David K. Moldoff, Founder and CEO of AcademyOne, Inc., is a visionary in higher education responsible for AcademyOne’s overall strategy with specific emphasis on the technology infrastructure, integration of applications and services as well as exploiting his vast industry network with regards to sales, strategic partnerships, associations, etc. David is a successful entrepreneur with over 34 years of experience in launching and managing new companies and new products in technology for higher education.
Before forming AcademyOne in 2005, David was SVP of Solutions Architecture and Infrastructure for SCT, which he was instrumental in selling to SunGard in 2004. Within PESC, David currently serves as Co-Chair of the EdExchange User Group, on the Steering Committee of PESC GEO Code User Group and active in the Academic Credentialing and Experiential Learning Task Force. David serves as PESC Board Liaison to the Rome Student Systems and Standards Group (RS3G) now converged with the Groningen Declaration Network, served as Co-Chair of the EdUnify Task Force, and was instrumental in the formation of the Common Identity and Trust (CommIT) Collaborative initiated by PESC’s Electronic Authentication/Authorization (EA2) Task Force which partnered with Internet2.
Francisco Valines
Board Member
Francisco has over 30 years of experience in Student Financial Aid Administration, spanning multiple large public universities including the University of Florida, Texas Tech University, and more. Currently serving as the Director of Financial Aid at Florida International University, he oversees aid for 54,000 students and leads federal legislative relations for FASFAA. Francisco is also involved in various national committees such as NASFAA, contributing to topics like technology initiatives and disaster preparedness. He has been a member of the PESC Board since July 2006, showcasing his commitment to industry advancement.
Francisco has been involved in Student Financial Aid Administration for over 30 years at various large public Universities including the University of Florida, Texas Tech University, Washington State University, the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, The University of Maryland, College Park, and Florida International University. He is in his tenth year as the Director of Financial Aid at Florida International University, a public research University with 54,000 students, a Law School and a Medical School. FIU is designated as a Hispanic Serving Institution and qualifies for the Title III and Title V exemptions for Title IV Aid matching requirements based on the size and ratio of its Pell Grant recipients. Prior to coming to FIU, Francisco was the Associate Director of Financial Aid at the University of Maryland, College Park for 15 years. Francisco is currently serving on the PESC Board and is the Federal Legislative Relations Chair for the Florida Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (FASFAA). He was also the 2013-2014 Chair of the NASFAA Technology Initiatives Committee. He has served on many NASFAA committees including the Reauthorization Task Force, Technology, Need Analysis, and College Access. He has presented at State, Regional, and National Conferences in such diverse areas as Technology in the Aid office, Using Diversity in packaging financial aid, Gramm-Leach-Bliley as it applies to financial aid, Hot topics for Grad and Professional Financial Aid, Disaster Preparedness, BBAY Loans, and many others. Francisco has served on the PESC Board since July 2006.
Vivian Wong
Board Member
Vivian W. Wong is a seasoned executive with over 20 years of experience in global software development. As Group Vice President at Oracle Higher Education, she leads the team in developing the next-generation student information system, Student Cloud. Vivian is known for her strong leadership, customer focus, and talent in building high-caliber teams. She is also passionate about philanthropy and serves on the Board of Directors for IMS Global, demonstrating her commitment to making a positive impact.
Vivian W. Wong is a dynamic, outcome driven, and accomplished executive who brings a wealth of experience and talent in developing world-class software in leading global engineering teams. She is an excellent collaborator and communicator with strong leadership skills, with over 20 years’ experience building on premise, SaaS, and mobile products for PeopleSoft, Oracle, Taleo, ServiceMax, and TargetX. As Group Vice President of Oracle Higher Education, Vivian currently leads the product development team at Oracle for higher education. Under her direction this team is building a next generation student information system – Student Cloud – which through its groundbreaking approach to empowering institutions and students globally will disrupt the industry. Vivian is strategic, results-oriented and highly focused on customers’ success. An expert at building, transforming and leading high-caliber teams, Vivian is talented at fostering an empowering, fun and collaborative environment to unleash the full potential of an organization. Vivian is a strong customer advocate; she ensures quality, usability, performance and scalability are always designed and built into the solutions she delivers.
Vivian is passionate about making the world a better place. For team bonding, she leads her teams to practice philanthropy. Among other personal and professional endeavors, she currently serves on the Board of Directors for IMS Global.