Dr. Sarah DeMark of Western Governors University Joins Workcred Board of Directors

Workcred, an American National Standards Institute (ANSI) affiliate focused on advancing quality workforce credentials, is pleased to announce that Sarah DeMark, Ph.D. has joined the Workcred board of directors for a three-year term, effective immediately.

Dr. DeMark is a recognized leader in developing innovative and impactful large-scale education programs for both the education and corporate sectors. She currently serves as a vice provost at Western Governors University (WGU) within the workforce intelligence and credential integrity division—a department she spearheaded—focused on ensuring WGU students achieve the highest-value credentials by aligning program outcomes to employer needs.

“As a devoted advocate for skills and competency-based education programs that benefit and align the needs of individuals and employers to improve workforce development, I am thrilled to continue this important work in joining Workcred’s board,” Dr. DeMark said.

At WGU, Dr. DeMark’s department is dedicated to creating standards and practices to ensure credentials are developed and delivered with the highest quality. She is also the executive director of the Open Skills Network, a 2,000-member coalition dedicated to advancing an open skills-based education and hiring ecosystem.

Previously, Dr. DeMark has held various academic and corporate leadership roles, including a position as senior manager of global certifications and strategic assessments at Cisco. She has served on membership and advisory positions for workforce and education initiatives, and currently serves on 1EdTech’s board of directors.

Dr. DeMark has contributed to various publications, including “Ensuring student-centered value with skills-denominated credentials,” published in the International Journal of Information and Learning Technology in 2023. From 2013-2019, she served as a member of ANSI's Personnel Certification Accreditation Committee, responsible for accrediting personnel certification bodies in accordance with the international standard ISO/IEC 17024:2012 Conformity assessment, General requirements for bodies operating certification of persons.

Dr. DeMark holds a bachelor of science degree from Vanderbilt University, and a master of science and Ph.D. from Arizona State University. She will join like-minded talented leaders and professionals interested in solving the complexities of the U.S. credentialing system who represent the current Workcred board of directors:

• S. Joe Bhatia, president and CEO, ANSI (Chair)
• Beth Carlson, corporate vice president of talent, Raytheon Technologies (retired)
• Sarah DeMark, Ph.D., vice provost, workforce intelligence and credential integrity, and executive director of the Open Skills Network, WGU
• Peggy Jensen, CPA, senior vice president of finance, administration, and chief financial officer, ANSI
• John Kessler, global lead for responsible assessment, credentialing, and learning measurement, Accenture
• Larry Lynch, senior vice president of health, safety and regulatory services, National Restaurant Association
• Fran Schrotter, senior vice president and chief operating officer, ANSI
• Andrew Updegrove, partner and co-founder, Gesmer Updegrove LLP
• George Westerman, principal research scientist, and founder of the Global Opportunity Initiative, MIT
• Cynthia Woodley, Ed.D., chief operating officer and psychometrician, Professional Testing, Inc.