Leadership
Extensive experience dedicated to advancing our mission
WIDA’s leadership team brings extensive expertise in the fields of language education, test development, research, policy and professional learning, in addition to operational strength in marketing, finance, information technology and human resources.
Learn about each of our team members below.
Tim Boals, Executive Director
Tim has been a language educator for more than 30 years. His expertise ranges from curriculum, classroom and language assessment to language policy and practice for multilingual learners.
Samuel Aguirre, Senior Director of Consortium and State Relations
Sam has more than 10 years of experience serving multilingual learners as an advocate, teacher, state director, and bilingual education leader. He leads WIDA's work to support and engage state education agencies across the WIDA Consortium.
Heather Buettner, Director of Communications and Marketing
Heather spent more than 20 years in corporate marketing and innovation before joining WIDA. Her expertise is in strategic communications, branding and audience-centered solutions.
Grace Li, Chief Assessment Officer
Grace has nearly 20 years of assessment leadership and operational experience from which she lends expertise in consultancy and innovative solutions regarding psychometrics, test design and development, scoring and analytics, and data management and operation.
Dan Machmeier, Director of Information Technology
For more than 30 years in a variety of industries, organizational cultures, and technology roles, Dan has been adding value to organizations by delivering both internal and external facing information technology solutions.
Fabiana MacMillan, Director of Test Development
Fabiana has more than 20 years of experience in a career that spans management of language assessment programs, academic research, test development, teacher education and language teaching.
Kris Stewart, Assistant Director of Consortium and State Relations
Kris provides expertise in education policy, data analysis, and direct perspectives from our state education agency clients and external partners, while leading a team of state relations specialists.
Merideth Trahan, Chief of Staff
Merideth brings more than 30 years of experience in non-profit and higher education program and organizational development to WIDA. Her expertise is in talent development, strategic planning, program evaluation and internal communication.
Meg Van Voorhis, Chief Educator Learning Officer
Meg has more than 15 years of combined experience in dual language instruction, curriculum development and professional learning. She brings expertise in educational technology, instructional design and cross-functional leadership.
Related Pages
Staff Directory
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