CAEP Announces Senior Vice President Appointments as NCATE and TEAC Proceed Toward Unification

(WASHINGTON – JUNE 18, 2012) Today the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) announced dual senior vice presidencies for the new accrediting organization as NCATE and TEAC proceed on the path to becoming one organization. Formal unification of the two organizations is expected sometime during 2013. Deb Eldridge has been named Senior Vice President for Accreditation and Administration, and Mark LaCelle-Peterson, currently President of TEAC, will become the organization's Senior Vice President for Research and Development and Outreach. Eldridge currently serves in the role of Senior Vice President for Accreditation for NCATE. Both appointments become effective on July 1, 2012.

Deb Eldridge's functional areas of supervision within the new structure include the following: Accreditation, Program Review, Finance, Human Resources, Information Technology, Administrative Support, and Event Planning. Mark LaCelle-Peterson's functional areas of supervision are Member Relations, which includes coordinating with State Partnerships; Research and Development; and Communications and Marketing.

James G. Cibulka, President of NCATE and CAEP, says, "The policy and practice environments are in a state of flux and will be for some time. With the expertise that Deb and Mark bring to the table, I am confident that CAEP can function as a force for innovation, experimentation, and excellence in educator preparation."

Cibulka continues, "From its inception, CAEP's goal has been to raise the bar for educator preparation by raising the performance of candidates as practitioners in the nation's P-12 schools and raising the standards for evidence of quality. We see CAEP becoming a driver for continuous improvement within accredited provider programs, as well as embedding research and development as a component of accreditation so that CAEP can stimulate the development of a robust knowledge base in our field."

Eldridge says, "This new structure provides CAEP with increased capacity to help guide institutions as they proceed in their accreditation journeys, especially as CAEP sets new standards for educator preparation providers." LaCelle-Peterson says, "I look forward to working with all constituents in this new role. As CAEP moves forward, we have an opportunity to engage all stakeholders anew as the organization sets new standards for accreditation. Also, incorporating research and development into the accreditation organization as a functional area is a new step forward for our field."