Governance

AIR is a global association of higher education professionals, formed in 1966 as a 501c(3) non-profit organization.

AIR is governed by a 12-member Board of Directors elected by the membership. The Board sets the Association’s vision and purpose, establishes its expectations through policies, and monitors the outcomes of operational activities. The Association operations are led by an Executive Director and a team of professional staff dedicated to implementing the vision of the Board through strategies and actions that advance the profession and improve higher education through data-informed decisions.

 

2025-202 Board of Directors at the 2025 AIR Forum

Recent Board of Directors News

  • Board News Featured
  • 05.22.25

AIR Welcomes Newly Elected, Appointed Leaders

  • by AIR

The Association for Institutional Research (AIR) is pleased to announce the results of the 2025 leadership elections. The newly elected leaders officially assumed their roles during the Annual Business Meeting at the 2025 AIR Forum in May.

Board of Directors

Brent Drake has been re-elected to serve a second term as Chair of the Board of Directors. Drake is the Senior Vice President for Operations and Research at The John N. Gardner Institute for Excellence in Undergraduate Education.

Adrea Hernandez, Executive Director of Institutional Research at the University of Notre Dame, has been elected as Vice Chair of the Board.

The following individuals have been elected as new members of the Board of Directors:

  • Vincent Castano, Dean of Institutional Effectiveness at Fayetteville Technical Community College
  • Ivana Fredotovic, Chief Data Officer at Weber State University
  • Liile Lekena-Bayaga, Acting Senior Director of Institutional Planning and Research at Mangosuthu University of Technology in Durban, South Africa
  • Jillian Morn, Interim Director of the Office of Educational Assessment at the University of Washington-Seattle Campus

Nominations and Elections Committee (NEC)

Shari Ellertson, Senior Executive Director of Institutional Effectiveness at Boise State University, has been elected as Chair of the Nominations and Elections Committee for the 2025–2026 term.

The newly elected members of the NEC are:

  • Melanie (Mel) Jenkins-Simpson, Assistant Provost and SACSCOC Liaison at The University of Alabama in Huntsville.
  • Linli Zhou, Institutional Research Analyst at Lasell University.

AIR extends its congratulations to all newly elected leaders and expresses gratitude to all members who participated in the election process. For more information about AIR's governance and leadership, please visit the AIR Election Results page.