Fred Hurst is Vice President of Academic Advancement at Western Governors University. He serves as a national spokesperson for WGU and competency-based education to the higher education, policy, and quality assurance communities. Dr. Hurst develops and manages partnerships with higher education institutions, policy organizations, think tanks, associations, and foundations. Prior positions include: Senior Vice President for Extended Campuses at Northern Arizona and architect for NAU’s Personalized Learning competency-based education initiative; Executive Director of the Florida Public Postsecondary Distance Learning Institute; Dean of Information Technologies/CIO for the Education Network of Maine. Dr. Hurst served as vice chair of the Advisory Committee on Student Financial Assistance as an appointee of the U.S. House of Representatives. He has served the Higher Learning Commission as a member of the Institutional Actions Council (IAC), team chair and consultant-evaluator.