About me
Elise Scanlon has nearly 20 years of experience in higher education accreditation having served as Executive Director of the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges (ACCSC) from 1999-2008. As ACCSC’s Executive Director, Elise managed an accreditation process that included more than 700 higher education institutions. During her time at ACCSC, Elise was a national voice on issues pertaining to accreditation and for-profit institutions of higher education.
Elise’s practice focuses on advising accrediting agencies and institutions of higher education on policy, state and federal regulation and quality assurance and improvement protocols. She also advises nonprofit organizations with a focus on board governance, management and strategic planning and development.
Elise interacts routinely with the U.S. Department of Education, key congressional committees, state oversight agencies and regional and national accrediting organizations. She also has experience guiding accrediting agencies through the recognition process of the U.S. Department of Education. In 2007, Elise was appointed by Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings to serve on a Negotiated Rulemaking panel charged with revising accreditation regulations. Since then, she has participated, with other higher education professionals, in various national conferences focused on issues including accountability and student achievement. She has written a number of articles on accountability and transparency in higher education and is a frequent speaker on these and other topics related to the changing landscape for higher education and accreditation.
Elise earned her law degree from Georgetown University Law Center. She received her bachelor’s degree, magna cum laude from Dickinson College and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa.
She is a member of the state bar of Maryland and the District of Columbia.
