Daniela Iacona Elected Deputy Chair of the Sydney Accord
Daniela Iacona, ABET’s long-serving director of international engagement and governance, has been elected deputy chair of the Sydney Accord, one of the key multilateral accords under the International Engineering Alliance (IEA). Her election, which took place on June 13, marks a milestone not just for Iacona, but for ABET’s continued role in shaping global technical education.
The Sydney Accord, established in 2001, sets global standards and facilitates the mutual recognition of accredited engineering technology programs at the bachelor’s level among its 11 current signatories. These signatories represent accrediting organizations from around the world, each responsible for evaluating bachelor-level engineering technology programs within their jurisdictions. Central to the Accord is the principle of substantial equivalence: if a program is accredited by one signatory, it is recognized as being academically comparable to those accredited in other member countries. This accord supports the international mobility of graduates by streamlining credential recognition and assists multinational employers in assessing the quality of candidates’ educational backgrounds. The collaborative nature of the Sydney Accord also fosters the exchange of best practices, enabling accrediting bodies to learn from one another and enhance the global quality of engineering technology education.
Iacona joined ABET in 2004 and has dedicated much of her career to advancing its international presence. She played a pivotal role in ABET’s successful application to join the Sydney Accord in 2009, helping coordinate the rigorous review process and working closely with peer organizations. Since then, she has overseen ABET’s continued participation in the Accord, as well as its involvement in other accords such as the Washington, Seoul, and Dublin Accords. Now a seasoned leader in international accreditation, her knowledge of mutual recognition agreements (MRAs), coupled with her multilingual and multicultural background, has made her a trusted partner amongst peer organizations worldwide.
Iacona’s own journey — coming to the United States for her undergraduate education — makes the mission of the Accord particularly significant. “Global mobility is something that is very personal to me,” she shared. “I understand the importance of having your credentials recognized to facilitate not just mobility, but also opportunities to contribute professionally across borders.”
In her new role, Iacona will support the operational and strategic functions of the Sydney Accord, including overseeing peer review processes and contributing to the IEA’s broader goals through its Governing Group. “I look forward to continuing our collaboration with signatories and improving the mobility of technical graduates around the world,” she said. “Ensuring the quality of technical education globally benefits us all.”
For Iacona, the role is a natural extension of a career defined by cross-border collaboration and dedication to quality assurance in technical education. Her deep institutional knowledge, combined with a global perspective shaped by her own experience, makes her a powerful advocate for the next generation of globally mobile professionals.