Starting July 1, the Washington State University Office of Assessment for Curricular Effectiveness (ACE) will be led by WSU alum Lindsey (Kimble) Brown immediately following the retirement of long-time director Kimberly Green.
“WSU is indebted to Kimberly for her years of devoted leadership and creative vision, and we look forward to many future ACE achievements with Lindsey at the helm,” said Elizabeth Chilton, provost and executive vice president and WSU Pullman chancellor. “We congratulate them both and extend our sincere thanks for their service.”
ACE works with undergraduate programs, colleges, and the University Common Requirements (UCORE) general education program to design and implement learning outcomes assessment measures that can inform faculty decisions about effective curriculum and instruction to support quality academic programs. The office partners with and provides resources for faculty, staff, and leadership on the value and uses of assessment, aiming to help develop sustainable, good-practice approaches that fit the local context.
“ACE plays a key role in helping undergraduate-serving colleges and programs assess student learning to improve degree programs,” said William B. Davis, interim vice provost for academic engagement and student achievement. “Kimberly and Lindsey have worked closely together in ACE for 10 years and have shared in its innovations, successes, and impact on the university.”
ACE’s work and WSU’s approach to building capacity in program assessment were showcased by the National Institute of Learning Outcomes Assessment in 2019. In addition, Green and Brown have presented numerous times at national assessment conferences, contributing to innovations and good practice approaches in the field of learning outcomes assessment.
ACE also plays a vital role in helping to maintain WSU’s regional accreditation by the Northwest Commission on College and Universities (NWCCU). ACE’s efforts to support UCORE assessment were commended in 2018 and 2021 by the NWCCU.
Green’s retirement on June 30 follows 20 years as a WSU Pullman employee. She has been director of ACE since 2011, working previously as a learning designer and assessment specialist in WSU’s Center for Teaching, Learning, and Technology. From 2012-15, she also served as WSU’s director of institutional accreditation/accreditation liaison officer. She was named a WSU woman of distinction in 2013.
Prior to WSU, Green was an instructor and learning center director for the English language program at the University of California (UC)-Berkeley, and an instructor in the Department of English/English as a second language at San Francisco State University (SFSU). Green earned her bachelor of arts degree in English at UC-Santa Barbara, and her master’s degree in teaching English as a second/foreign language at SFSU. She served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Ghana, West Africa, teaching at Yendi Secondary School.
Brown joined ACE in 2014, serving first as a research data analyst and then as an assessment and data specialist. She was promoted to assistant director in 2021. She earned her bachelor of science degree in food science and human nutrition and her master’s in food science, both at WSU Pullman. Before joining ACE, she was a teaching assistant and research associate. Brown received the WSU Crimson Spirit Award in March 2022.
