Diane DeBacker, Ed.D.

Dr. Diane DeBacker is the founding director of the Center for Certification and Competency Based Education (C3Be), the newest center within AAI, that focuses on supporting responsive learning systems of certification, competency-based, and work-place informed learning and education. Dr. DeBacker’s passion for education has taken her from her first high school classroom in Manhattan, Kansas, to advising the education system in Abu Dhabi of the United Arab Emirates, to Chief Academic Officer in Seattle Public Schools, to serving as Commissioner of Education for the state of Kansas, and as Executive Director of Business and Education Innovation for the Kansas Department of Commerce. In her 38 plus years in education, DeBacker has provided clarity to complex education issues including state education governance structures, school finance, federal education legislation, education policy, and workforce development and training.