Four Visionary Leaders Join National Nonprofit Board to Scale Workforce Partnerships and Accelerate a Skills-First Economy

Competency-Based Education Network (C-BEN) welcomes leaders from HR, policy, technology, and workforce innovation to its board of directors to drive the shift to a skills-forward future.

NASHVILLE, Tenn., Feb. 13, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The Competency-Based Education Network (C-BEN), the nonprofit international leader in helping institutions and employers advance skills-based learning, today welcomed four senior executives across workforce development, human resources, quality assurance, and public policy, to its board of directors. The new board members will help C-BEN further transform collaboration between institutions and employers – ensuring learners can effectively access, demonstrate, validate, and apply in-demand skills.

"Our nation and world have made it clear—skills are the currency of the future," said Charla Long, president of C-BEN. "Welcoming these visionary leaders to our board signals the growing momentum behind competency-based education as a catalyst for economic mobility and workforce competitiveness. For more than a decade, C-BEN has championed the shift from time-based education to skills-driven learning. Now, we enter the next phase—fully realizing the promise of a skills-first economy."

The new members, joining C-BEN's board of directors are:

• Kimo Kippen, a globally recognized thought leader in lifelong learning and talent development who served as chief learning officer at Hilton and VP of learning at Marriott International. He currently serves in advisory roles with organizations such as ATD, APIA Scholars, and The Conference Board, and regularly facilitates HR Executive learning events worldwide.
• Ajita Talwalker Menon, president and CEO of Calbright College, where she leads a public, online competency-based approach to driving economic mobility for Californians and providing skilled talent for employers across the state. She previously served as special assistant to the president for higher education policy in the Obama Administration, as well as holding senior roles at the U.S. Department of Education and the U.S. House of Representatives.
• Joe Edelheit Ross, president and CEO of Reach University, a nonprofit university advancing apprenticeship degrees. Joe previously led a statewide education advocacy association, California County Boards of Education, and served for over ten years as an elected trustee of the San Mateo County Board of Education. Earlier in his career, he served on active duty in the U.S. Navy, and later as a deputy district attorney.
• Jane Oates, senior policy advisor and former president of WorkingNation. Jane served as assistant secretary for the Employment and Training Administration at the US Department of Labor. She previously was executive director of the New Jersey Commission on Higher Education and also served for a decade as senior policy advisor to Senator Edward M. Kennedy of Massachusetts.

The appointment of these new board members comes as more than 16 states have enacted skills-based hiring policies and more than 80% of organizations, including small, medium, and large employers alike, have signaled an interest in making the shift to skills-first talent strategies. C-BEN has been instrumental in driving this transformation in states and regions, partnering with Alabama, Navajo Nation and Illinois to build talent marketplaces that showcase the power of skills assessment and validation. In Tennessee and Washington, C-BEN has helped tackle teacher talent shortages by expanding apprenticeships that enable educators to earn credentials while teaching—helping them advance in their careers with higher pay and leadership opportunities. In California, C-BEN has supported colleges in awarding credit to farm workers for hands-on experience with emerging technologies like AI and drones, equipping them with the skills needed for today's evolving agricultural jobs.

"A thriving economy depends on the ability to facilitate and validate learning, and translate that into the ever-changing skills required in today's workforce," said Jennifer Graebe, DrPH, MSN, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN, Senior Director of Accreditation at the American Nurses Credentialing Center, and incoming chair of C-BEN's Board of Directors. "I'm thrilled to welcome our four new board members, whose expertise will benefit C-BEN to expand its impact—empowering learners and employers to succeed in a skills-driven future."

About the Competency-Based Education Network (C-BEN)
The Competency-Based Education Network (C-BEN) is revolutionizing how we design, experience, and measure learning throughout a lifetime. We believe learning should be measured by what you can do — the knowledge, skills, and behaviors that lay the foundation for your success — and for more than 10 years we have been guiding our expansive network of education leaders, employers, policymakers, and changemakers towards quality competency-based models and practices. C-BEN is a U.S.-based non-profit organization. 

SOURCE C-BEN