Academy for Educational Development

WASHINGTON, D.C., April 25, 2008— Elizabeth J. Folsom and Becky Smerdon, Ph.D., have joined AED in two new positions and have been elected officers by the AED Board of Directors.

Liz Folsom is senior vice president and director of internal audit.

Folsom works across the entire AED organization to effectively manage risk and achieve organization objectives through careful monitoring, refining policies and procedures, and  training AED staff on effective internal control and risk management. She has spent virtually her entire auditing career working with international development organizations.  Most recently Folsom served as auditor general of the Inter-American Development Bank in Washington, D.C. Previously she was the director of internal audit with CARE, Inc., in Atlanta.  She holds an MBA from Georgia State University and is a certified public accountant.  Folsom is also certified in internal audit, control self assessment, and quality assessment.

Becky Smerdon is vice president/principal scientist and deputy director of the AED U.S. Education and Workforce Development Group.

A nationally recognized expert in high school reform, Smerdon most recently served as a senior research associate in the Education Policy Center of the Urban Institute.  There she led the development of a research agenda on disadvantaged youth and high school reform, focusing on successfully transitioning students from high school to college and work.  Previously, Smerdon was a principal research scientist at the American Institutes of Research, where she led the National High School Center.  She holds a Ph.D. in Educational Studies, Foundations and Policy from the University of Michigan.

AED (www.aed.org) is a nonprofit organization working globally to improve education, health, and economic opportunities, with a focus on the underserved.

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