Smarter Balanced Hires Executive Administrative Officer and Deputy Executive Program Officer
Bryce Carpenter, Ph.D. and Rochelle Michel, Ph.D. Join Smarter Balanced
Santa Clara, CA, August 3, 2022—Smarter Balanced is pleased to announce the hirings of Bryce Carpenter, Ph.D. as its new Executive Administrative Officer and Rochelle Michel, Ph.D. as its new Deputy Executive Program Officer. The addition of these highly qualified individuals marks a commitment to building a robust organization committed to serving all students.
Dr. Carpenter is a lifelong public servant who believes in the transformative power of education and has committed his career to serving children and those who serve them. As a member of the executive team, Dr. Carpenter will support areas ranging from workforce development, budgetary operations, communications, and employee engagement.
“Working in high-visibility, high-risk environments at state and federal levels taught me the importance of building a strong team of internals and externals. Partnerships are key,” says Dr. Carpenter. “SmarterBalanced has a history of responsive impact and, based on the strength of our prior work and our robust partnerships, has an incredible forward trajectory. I am thrilled to contribute and be a part of this team’s future.”
Dr. Michel joins Smarter Balanced with 15 years of experience in psychometrics, research, and people leadership, and brings a wealth of experience overseeing critical assessment functions, including programs such as the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) and the Graduate Records Examinations (GRE). As Deputy Executive Program Officer, Dr. Michel will oversee the psychometrics, research, and data analysis functions.
“My experiences live at the intersection of teaching, learning, and assessment. I am a teacher at heart! I entered the field of education because I wanted to help students reach their greatest potential and I entered the field of psychometrics because I saw the role that assessments played within the educational system,” says Dr. Michel. “With every professional role that I have held, I keep teachers, students, and students’ families in mind.”
Dr. Carpenter joins the Smarter Balanced team most recently from the U.S. Department of Education (ED) where he served as the Chief of Staff to the Chief Information Officer. In that role, he oversaw formulation and execution of a $1B portfolio and strategic workforce development. Prior to joining ED, Dr. Carpenter served at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, where he established the agency’s first educational programming. Dr.Carpenter has also taught at every level, from doctoral students to pre-Kindergarten, and is a proud Army veteran. He earned his Ph.D. and Master’s degree in classics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, a Bachelor of Arts degree in history from the University of Washington, and an Executive Certificate in Public Policy from Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government.
Dr. Michel’s background includes leadership positions at Curriculum Associates, Educational Records Bureau (ERB), and Educational Testing Service (ETS). She has extensive teaching experience in mathematics and statistics, starting her career as a junior high school mathematics teacher in the South Bronx and subsequently teaching at various levels from junior high school, high school, community college and university. Dr. Michel received her Ph.D. in psychometrics from Fordham University, a Master’s degree in mathematics education from New York University, and a Bachelor of Science degree in applied mathematics and statistics from Stony Brook University.
Smarter Balanced is a member-led public agency that supports educators as they help students on a path to progress. The Smarter Balanced dynamic system of tools—developed in collaboration with our members and educators—is a standards-aligned balanced assessment system and provides teachers with lessons, activities, and methods of gauging progress.