Staff

Stuart Elliott is director of the Board on Testing and Assessment at the National Research Council, where he has worked on a variety of projects related to assessment, accountability, teacher qualifications, and information technology. Previously, he worked as an economic consultant for several private-sector consulting firms. He was also a research fellow in cognitive psychology and economics at Carnegie Mellon University and a visiting scholar at the Russell Sage Foundation. He has a Ph.D. in economics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Alix Beatty is a senior program officer for the Board on Testing and Assessment. Since 1996 she has contributed to many projects, including an evaluation plan for the District of Columbia Public Schools; studies of teacher preparation, National Board certification for teachers, and state-level science assessment; and the Committee on Education Excellence and Testing Equity. She has also worked as an independent education writer and researcher. Prior to joining the National Research Council staff she worked on the National Assessment of Educational Progress and College Board programs at the Educational Testing Service. She has a BA in philosophy from Williams College and an MA in history from Bryn Mawr College.

Margaret Hilton is senior program officer with the Board on Testing and Assessment and the Board on Science Education. She has directed and contributed to studies of high school science laboratories; the role of state standards in K-12 education; foreign language and international studies in higher education; international labor standards; and the Information Technology workforce. Prior to joining the NRC staff, Ms. Hilton was a consultant to the National Skill Standards Board. Earlier, at the Congressional Office of Technology Assessment, she directed studies of workforce training, work reorganization, and international competitiveness. She earned a B.A. in geography, with high honors, from the University of Michigan, an M.A. in regional planning from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and an M.A. in human resource development from George Washington University.

Judith Koenig is a senior program officer for the Board on Testing and Assessment. Since 1999, she has directed measurement-related studies designed to inform education policy, including studies on the National Assessment of Educational Progress, inclusion of special needs students in assessment programs, developing assessments for state and federal accountability programs, and setting standards for the National Assessment of Adult Literacy. From 1984 to 1999, she worked at the Association of American Medical Colleges on the Medical College Admission Test, directing operational programs and leading a comprehensive research program on the examination. Prior to that, she worked for 10 years as a special education teacher and diagnostician. She has a B.A. (1975) in special education from Michigan State University, an M.A. (1984) in psychology from George Mason University, and a Ph.D. (2003) in educational measurement, statistics, and evaluation from the University of Maryland. 

Kelly Iverson is a senior program assistant with the Board on Testing and Assessment at the NRC. She provides support to the board itself and a number of its projects. Before coming to the NRC, she received her B.A. in psychology at Shepherd University in WV. Her senior thesis focused on the effect volunteering has on your acceptance of social “out-groups.” While at Shepherd she also minored in French with a concentration in foreign language education. In the next few years she is planning on beginning her Masters in Social Work with a concentration in counseling.