2023 I.C.E. Leadership Development Program Cohort Members

Angela J. McGoff is the Assistant Executive Director for Certification Services at the American Board of Emergency Medicine (ABEM). In that role, she provides leadership to the Certification Services team to ensure that ABEM’s interactions in support of Emergency Medicine training, subspecialty training programs, and the applicant, candidate, and diplomate processes that support EM and subspecialty certification and continuing certification programs, comply with ABEM standards for quality, integrity, and security, and are efficiently and effectively managed. Before becoming Assistant Executive Director, Angela was a Program Manager and Program Coordinator with the Certification Services team. Angela received a B.A. degree from Michigan State University.

Ann is currently serving as the Senior Manager, Examinations at the Board of Certified Safety Professionals (BCSP). She has been with BCSP since April 2018, coordinating and overseeing the development and delivery of examinations for all eight of BCSP’s certifications. In this role Ann works closely with existing certificants as subject matter experts throughout each step in the examination development life cycle. In addition to examination development, Ann works with BCSP’s Accreditation Department to confirm that industry standards and best practices are followed throughout the examination development process ensuring that BCSP certifications remain the gold standard within the safety industry. Prior to joining BCSP, Ann worked for eight years in K-12 assessment developing general science, biology, chemistry, and physics content and examinations for state-level formative and summative assessments. Ann earned a PhD in Bioanalytical Chemistry from Purdue University in 2010 researching novel applications of fluorescent proteins.

Ashley Mueller is currently the Manager of Educational Programs at the National Board of Public Health Examiners. Previously, Ashley held the position of Certification Manager at the Institute of Inspection, Cleaning, and Restoration Certification (IICRC). She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Valparaiso University. Ashley worked in project management directing timelines, budgets, and global rollouts before moving into the non-profit world, which aligned with her desire to do mission-driven work. Ashley now enjoys building relationships with SMEs and managing the IICRC’s 28 credentialing programs. Ashley has led the IICRC’s organizational transformation to comply with the ISO 17024 standard and is applying for ANAB accreditation. In her free time, Ashley always has her passport, hiking boots, and appetite ready for any adventure.

Eric Roach is the Senior Program Manager for the Government Finance Officers Association's (GFOA) Certified Public Finance Officers (CPFO) program. He is responsible for the management of the CPFO program's relaunch, oversight committee, exam development, customer service, outreach, and more. He works alongside GFOA membership and leadership groups to advance excellence in public finance. He has a B.A. in sociology from the University of Illinois at Springfield and an M.S. in public administration from DePaul University.

Haley Vanness, ICE-CCP is the Senior Certification and Events Manager for Water Professionals International (WPI), where she manages two certification programs as well as all meetings and events for the organization. After obtaining a degree in Neuroscience, Haley found that credentialling was a great fit-allowing her to use her psychology and data analytics background. Outside of work, Haley is the Board President for Des Moines Young Artists’ Theatre, where she also directs and choreographs, and is the Head Cheerleading Coach at Valley High School. Haley was thrilled to join the second cohort of ICE Certified Credentialing Professionals this past summer and to be selected to join the 2022-2023 ICE Leadership Development Cohort.

Hannah Johnson is the Senior Operations Manager for the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners Certification Board (AANPCB), responsible for supervising and managing day-to-day operations to ensure the organization's necessary function, support, and success. Hannah has spent most of her career in the credentialing industry, gaining unparallel experiences in operations management, business development, process management, and strategic planning while establishing herself as a leader. Hannah holds an MBA from Western Governors University and a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Texas San Antonio, specializing in Community and Public Health.

Jerilyn Powell, MSAS, R.T.(R)(S)(ARRT), RDMS, RVT is the Director of Education Requirements for the American Registry of Radiologic Technologists (ARRT). Leading up to Jerilyn’s current role, she worked as a technologist, radiography education program director, and credentialing exam developer coordinator. She has been active throughout her career by participating in the American Society of Radiologic Technologists (ASRT) Leadership Academy focusing on government affairs, and the ASRT Leadership Academy for Educators. Jerilyn also served as an accreditation site visitor for the Joint Review Committee on Education in Radiologic Technology. Currently, she is responsible for ARRT’s education requirements for obtaining and maintaining certification and registration. Jerilyn’s passion for medical imaging and education are the drivers for continuing to develop.

Jill Khokhar joined American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) in 2021 as a Program Manager in Certifications. She was recently promoted to Senior Program Manager (October 2022) at AHIMA. In her current role, she successfully led the development for AHIMA’s first micro-credential product, developed and implemented a subject-matter expert (SME) recruitment initiative resulting in a robust group of SMEs, and assisted with compliance plan development and documentation to successfully maintain NCCA accreditation for two certification programs. Prior to joining AHIMA, she spent more than seven years at the American Society for Quality (ASQ) in a variety of progressive certification roles, including most recently as their Senior Assessment Specialist. She assisted in leading the ASQ certification team transition from Paper-based testing to Computer-based testing and led the team to achieve NCCA accreditation for three certification programs. She has successfully led and managed all phases of the exam development process from job analyses to cut score study during her time at ASQ.

As Director of Credentialing Services, Luana Vargas provides strategic and operational leadership to International Society of Arboriculture’s seven credentialing programs, which includes the ISA Tree Risk Assessment Qualification (an assessment-based certificate program), ISA Board Certified Master Arborist®, and the organization’s largest program—ISA Certified Arborist®—with over 35,000 credential holders worldwide and accredited by the ANSI National Accreditation Board (ANAB) for ISO/IEC 17024 compliance. Previously, she was Program Director for Adult Education at the Desert Botanical Garden, where she led the Desert Landscape School program and close to 500 informal adult learning classes/events per year. Luana served on the ISA Credentialing Council prior to joining ISA’s credentialing team and today is the chair of I.C.E’s Education Committee. She is an ISA Board Certified Master Arborist, ATD Certified Professional in Talent Development (CPTD), and holds a Master of Science degree in Natural Resources Education from University of Illinois.

Matt Ferris is Senior Director of Testing at the National Board for Certification and Recertification for Nurse Anesthetists (NBCRNA), where he has worked since 2014. He began his professional life as a teacher and has an M.A. in Teaching English as a Second Language. He also holds an MBA from West Texas A&M and obtained his Certifiied Association Executive (CAE) designation in 2019. He served on the I.C.E. Research & Development Committee 2019-2022, contributing to work on criminal justice reform, job task analysis, SME qualifications, and the recertification benchmarking survey. Matt has also participated several times as a presenter at the I.C.E. Exchange and ATP’s Innovations in Testing. Matt lives in Chicago and enjoys writing, learning languages, and spending time with family.

Tiffany Carey Day, M.S., ICE-CCP is a Senior Research Scientist at Human Resources Research Organization (HumRRO), a non-profit research and development organization that specializes in human capital management, education, credentialing, policy analysis, program evaluation, and training. Leveraging 14 years of experience in the credentialing industry, she provides test development services to professional associations, non-profit organizations, and U.S. federal government agencies, seeking to develop their certification, education, or promotion programs. She holds a master’s degree in educational psychology, with special focus in assessment, evaluation, and testing, from George Mason University, and a bachelor’s in Psychology from Virginia Commonwealth University.

Tina Chang is the Director of Test Development at Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB). She oversees the day-to-day responsibilities of Assessment Content Developers at her organization. Her primary duties include managing her team with item bank maintenance, item writing, and form assembly activities; working with testing service vendors and SMEs to develop, publish, and deliver PTCB certification and certificate exams; conducting research and various special projects to support credentialing best practices. Prior to joining PTCB in 2016, she gained her experience working at prominent organizations such as HumRRO and Prometric, where she served clients from various industries to meet their assessment needs, including pre-employment testing, state licensure exams, education, and professional certifications. She has over 12 years of experience in testing. Ms. Chang earned her MS in Industrial/Organizational Psychology from California State University, San Bernardino, and a BA in Psychology from University of California, Riverside. She became ICE-CCP certified with the Institute for Credentialing Excellence in 2022. She lives in Maryland with her husband and two children. In her spare time, she enjoys cooking, working out, and exploring new places with her family.

Unber Ahmad holds dual master’s degrees in industrial/organizational psychology and statistics and a PhD in industrial/organizational psychology from North Carolina State University. She received her bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. As the Director of Assessments, her duties include overseeing the development, delivery, and maintenance of standardized examinations for the National Board for Certified Counselors, Inc. and Affiliates (NBCC) and the Center for Credentialing & Education (CCE). Dr. Ahmad also provides organizational consultancy services within the public safety and private sectors. Prior to joining, NBCC, Dr. Ahmad worked at the Carolina Institute for Developmental Disabilities, the Durham VA Medical Center, and the Carolina Population Center. In her spare time, she likes to ride horses, box, and knit.