NECHE - Key Persons

Barbara Brittingham - President

Job Titles:

President

Barbara Brittingham retired as President of the New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE) in July 2020. NECHE accredits 220 colleges and universities in the six New England States and eleven American-style institutions abroad. Previously she served as a member and chair of the Commission. She was founding dean of the College of Education at Zayed University in the United Arab Emirates and worked in Ankara, Turkey, while on a World Bank project. Earlier she was Dean of the College of Human Science and Services at the University of Rhode Island where she also served as Interim Dean of University Libraries and Professor of Education. She holds the B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. degrees from Iowa State University. Currently she serves on the board of Quality and Qualifications Ireland, on the Quality Council in Iceland, and on the Board of the National Student Clearinghouse. She has served on the boards of six national accreditation organizations and has worked with ministries and universities in over twenty-five countries, sponsored by the Fulbright Commission, the U.S. State Department, the World Bank, and local governments and universities. She has served as a non-federal negotiator, U.S. Department of Education negotiated rule-making Team I Program Integrity Issues.