Pamela Tate, President and CEO
email: ptate@cael.org

Joining CAEL in 1987, Pam has become nationally and internationally recognized for her work in facilitating workforce education and training programs among educational institutions, business, labor and government and for her efforts in assisting colleges and universities to develop systems of Prior Learning Assessment and quality assurance in adult learning programs.

In 1996, Pam was acknowledged for a career devoted to expanding lifelong educational opportunities for adults with the Doctor of Humane Letters honoris causa, conferred by SUNY Empire State College, Saratoga Springs, New York. As a presenter, she is regularly sought out for her vision and insights into adult learning and workforce development and their vital relationship to the future of the economy. Born in Davenport, Iowa, Pam grew up in East Moline, Illinois and graduated from the University of Illinois at Champaign with masters degrees in both English and journalism. She completed her doctoral coursework at the Annenberg School of Communications, University of Pennsylvania.

Jo Winger de Róndon, Vice President
email: jwdr@cael.org

In 1991, Jo joined CAEL as the Regional Director for CAEL’s Denver office. Currently, she holds the position of Vice President for the organization. For the last thirteen years, she has provided leadership and oversight in managing CAEL’s original learner services contract with Qwest and the Communications Workers of America. This work has expanded to include additional contracts with other clients including Dex and AT&T Broadband. Jo also maintains visibility for CAEL with leaders in higher education throughout several western states.

In 1998, under Jo’s leadership, CAEL established a new line of work, Strategic Online Alliances. She is currently leading the work with the following industries: telecommunications, electric, and nuclear utilities. Through a collaborative effort, led by CAEL, each of these industries has created online degree programs and training offerings designed to offset the upcoming workforce gap.

Prior to CAEL, Jo served as Associate Dean of Continuing Education and Economic Development at Red Rocks Community College and was the Executive Director of Business and Industry at Arapahoe Community College.

Jo has been actively involved with the American Society for Training and Development, the National Council for Community Services and Continuing Education, and the National Society for Performance and Instruction. She held leadership roles with local non-profits. She earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Kansas and a master's degree from the University of Denver.

Phyllis Snyder, Vice President
email: psnyder@cael.org

Phyllis has led CAEL’s Philadelphia regional office since 1993, served as Regional Vice President since 2000, and now holds the position of Vice President for Healthcare Services and Mature Worker Initiatives.. She was responsible for the design and implementation of the DOL funded Nursing Career Lattice program in ten sites throughout the country.
As part of her interest in designing initiatives for mature workers, she has conducted research for the Conference Board and Civic Ventures, helped to develop and implement the Tapping Mature Talent project, and created the Mentors 4 STEM program.

Phyllis has worked with workforce development staff to develop many CAEL consulting products, including Educational Strategy Sessions, Workforce 2.0 tools and  Supervisor Circles. She has also served on the CAEL team that consulted with the MassJobs Council to shape  the One-Stop Career Center System in Massachusetts.

Her educational background includes a bachelor’s degree from Smith College, a master's degree in Teaching from Harvard University and a master's degree in City Planning from the University of Pennsylvania.

Diana Bamford-Rees, Associate Vice President
email: dbamford-rees@cael.org

As Associate Vice President in CAEL’s Philadelphia office, Diana’s responsibilities include project management of the CAEL/DOL Nursing Career Lattice Demonstration Project, the Verizon FutureLink program, and the JP Morgan Chase transition project. She also leads CAEL’s Assocation Services, including the annual CAEL International Conference, Prior Learning Assessment training, and Membership Services.

Since the founding of CAEL in 1974, Diana has held numerous positions in the organization, including Managing Editor of The CAEL News, Director of Training for Workforce Development, and Director of Conferences and Training. Prior to her position as Associate Vice President, Diana worked – for almost five years – as CAEL’s representative in South Africa at JET Education Services, a South African NGO, where she provided technical assistance for the design and implementation of a comprehensive workforce development model for South African workers.

Diana has extensive experience with the design and delivery of training for prior learning assessors and education advisors and for the management of these networks. She has been instrumental in policy development and implementation of comprehensive learning systems for both employed and retrenched workers in the USA and in South Africa.

Gabi Zolla, Vice President for Programs, Research and Policy
email: gzolla@cael.org

Gabi joined CAEL in July 2000 as the Director of the President’s Office. Gabi manages the President’s Office, and oversees several signature CAEL projects, including the WorkforceChicago2.0 Initiative. Before joining CAEL, she was the Communications Manager for the American Bar Association’s Commission on Women. She has an extensive background in philanthropy, having worked at both the Ford Foundation and the Annie E. Casey Foundation. Gabi holds a bachelor’s degree in English from Knox College and a Juris Doctor from New York University School of Law.

Amy Sherman, Associate Vice President for Policy and Strategic Alliances
email: asherman@cael.org

Amy Sherman is Associate Vice President for Policy and Strategic Alliances at the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL). Her work focuses on increasing access to adult learning and improving its quality. In this role, Amy engages in policy research and analysis, coalition-building, advocacy, and technical assistance to state and federal policy leaders. She is leading CAEL's national initiative to advance Lifelong Learning Accounts (LiLAs), which are employer-matched educational accounts to finance lifelong learning for working adults. Amy is a national and international speaker on issues related to lifelong learning and the workforce.

Prior to joining CAEL, Amy was Executive Director of the Manufacturing Workforce Development Project (MWDP), a project of the Chicago Federation of Labor funded by the U.S. Dept. of Labor. The MWDP built a consortium of influential business and labor leaders, educational providers, and public officials to identify the gaps in the current workforce development system. It published a well-received report with recommendations on how to improve the regional system in the manufacturing sector.

Amy earned her law degree from Northwestern University School of Law, and went on to serve as a dean of students. She practiced in the area of employment law. Early in her career, Amy managed the emergency services department at the University of Illinois Medical Center at Chicago and served as a financial caseworker at Cook County Hospital.

Judy Wertheim, Vice President, Higher Education Services and Administration
email: jwertheim@cael.org

Judy oversees CAEL’s efforts to reach out to colleges, universities, consortia, and state systems to help remove barriers for adults returning to school.  Since joining CAEL in 2006, she has presented workshops throughout the country on prior learning assessment, the adult learning focused institution, and adult advising.  She has also consulted with higher education colleagues about strategies to help adults continue their education.

From 1980 – 2006, Judy was affiliated with the School of Continuing Studies at Indiana University.  She most recently served as the interim dean for the university-wide school, where she held the rank of professor.  Her responsibilities included the General Studies associate and baccalaureate degree programs; the master’s degree program in Adult Education; the Indiana University high school diploma program; distance courses at the high-school, undergraduate, and graduate levels; and professional development programs.

Joel Simon, Associate Vice President for Government Services

Joel Simon is CAEL’s Associate Vice President for Government Services. Mr. Simon brings 10 years of experience developing new programs and partnerships in support of workforce and economic development initiatives. He has provided consulting to multi-stakeholder workforce initiatives in 18 states, and has worked with public and private partnerships to understand and address skills needs in a variety of existing and emerging sectors including energy, life sciences, transportation, manufacturing, information technology, retail and healthcare, as well as foundational skill efforts and regional collaboration initiatives that cut across sectors and jurisdictions. Prior to joining CAEL he worked to build partnerships between the Information Technology industry and the public workforce investment system as a program manager at the Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA), and served as the Assistant Director of Workforce Solutions – the business services arm of Chicago’s Mayor’s Office of Workforce Development. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Northwestern University and a Master of Arts from the University of Chicago.

Dorothy Wax, Director of Career Services and Director of the Philadelphia Office

Dorothy Wax, MS, PHR, CPLP is the Director of Career Services and Director of the Philadelphia office for the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL). She has been with CAEL since January, 2002, working with clients in telecommunications, finance, healthcare, and other industries to develop and provide career and education advising programs for their active and transitioning workforce. In addition, she works with institutions of higher learning to assist them in the delivery of high quality advising services to adult learners and provides training on a variety of topics.

Her background includes over 20 years in non-profit management including positions related to fundraising, education, human resources, and public policy. Dorothy has also worked in human resources consulting, and as a broadcast and print journalist.

Dorothy holds a Bachelors degree in Journalism from Moravian College, a Masters degree in Human Resource Administration from Temple University, and a Certificate in Human Resources from Cornell University.

Beth Doyle, Director of Operations and Marketing

Beth Doyle has 12 years experience in brand building, marketing and public relations. She is responsible for implementing print, email, and Web 2.0 marketing strategies for CAEL. Beth also brings 10 years of management experience to her role overseeing CAEL’s human resources activities and IT department. In her previous role as VP for Account Services at a Chicago advertising agency, Beth managed the development of successful marketing strategies, media plans and market research for a wide range of companies, nonprofit organizations, and educational institutions.

Like many lifelong learners, Beth earned her bachelor’s degree as a returning adult student at the School for New Learning at DePaul University. She also has a Certificate in Advertising Design from the College of DuPage and completed the Executive Development Program at Michigan State University.

Gloria Wagner, Associate Vice President of Finance

Gloria joined CAEL in December, 2000 as the Director of Finance and Operations and was promoted to Associate Vice President of Finance in July, 2009. Gloria manages all aspects of Finance including CAEL’s budget. Gloria’s entire career has been in accounting and finance for Not-For-Profit organizations. Gloria holds an MBA from Purdue University and passed the CPA examine in 2001.