The year 2025 has been an eventful one for ABET— from attending various conferences and events around the world to working hand-in-hand with our member societies to continue the pursuit of quality assurance in higher education and science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) programs. Here is what some of our leadership staff enjoyed most about working with you in 2025, and what they are looking forward to in 2026.
Dr. Michael K. J. Milligan – ABET CEO
Our many volunteer experts – they are the heart and soul of our organization. I am continually impressed and amazed at their dedication to ABET and higher education.
Our societies are our foundation. They truly represent the professions for which they help define the knowledge, skills and educational experiences students need to successfully enter the workforce and become the next generation of great problem solvers.
As we look forward to 2026, we look forward to our continued work with our many international partners to help improve the quality of higher education worldwide.
Jessica Silwick – ABET CFO and COO
What I appreciated most in 2025 was the opportunity to work closely with such dedicated and thoughtful volunteers and partners. Their generosity in sharing time and expertise, openness to new ideas, and genuine commitment to ABET’s purpose made the work both impactful and personally rewarding. ABET provides a unique opportunity to meet and work closely with a diverse group of professionals that otherwise would not have been possible.
In 2026, I am most looking forward to continuing our work together as we advance new initiatives, respond to emerging needs in education and the workforce, and strengthen ABET’s impact globally. Collaborating with such engaged and purpose-driven professionals makes the opportunity to shape what comes next especially meaningful and exciting.
Jane Emmet – Senior Director of Accreditation Operations
I appreciated the collaboration in ensuring that programs not only receive ABET accreditation, but that the process consistently yields improvements for STEM programs and allows for innovation. I was speaking with a dean last week who had just achieved accreditation for the first time for her engineering programs. She was reaching out with questions about how to manage changes during the period of accreditation. She shared how while she was so proud of her faculty and staff for achieving accreditation for their programs, the real value was the interaction with the ABET team who provided key feedback for how the programs could continue to improve.
I look forward to finding new opportunities to ensure that the overall experience of our volunteers is satisfying. Every year is an opportunity to discover how to better provide infrastructure and support, so the volunteers and member societies can focus on serving the hundreds of programs that seek accreditation each cycle.
Dr. Amanda G. Taylor – Senior Director of Global Communications and Marketing
I value their generosity, leadership and expertise. Their commitment to giving back in service of quality in higher education continually inspires me and reminds me of the bigger, purpose-driven picture.
I’m excited to continue learning from their leadership and collaborating on work that strengthens higher education. Our community of expert volunteers and partners give me hope for the year ahead.
Sarah Carter – Marketing Manager
What I valued most in 2025 was the opportunity to truly get to know the people of ABET—our volunteers, member societies and partners—whether we were connecting at conferences, during ABET trainings and meetings or across Zoom. Hearing firsthand about your experiences, challenges and perspectives on higher education was incredibly energizing. What stood out most was your genuine passion and deep commitment to both students and to strengthening higher education worldwide. As a new ABET staff member in a marketing role, these conversations helped ensure that your perspectives, challenges and commitment were heard and reflected in our marketing.
In 2026, I’m most looking forward to continuing those conversations and working even more closely with this community—learning from your insights, supporting your work and collaborating in ways that help amplify your impact and advance student-centered improvement across the globe.
We are excited for our various events in 2026, including PEV site visits, July commission meetings, symposium, governance meetings and many more opportunities to interact with our expert volunteers. If you or anyone you know is interested in becoming a program evaluator, have them check out our becoming a program evaluator page.