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Board

The Delta Project is guided by a governing board comprised of:

Robert Atwell, Chair, President Emeritus of the American Council on Education
Atwell has had a career of more than 40 years in public and private higher education.  From 1984-96, he served as President of the American Council on Education, having served as Executive Vice President of ACE from 1978 to 84.  He was Vice Chancellor for Administration of the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and President of Pitzer College in Claremont, California.  He currently serves on the Boards of Argosy University, Western State University College of Law, Eckerd College and the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education. He has served as a consultant for many colleges and university and is a consultant to the Association of Governing Boards.  Dr. Atwell holds 17 honorary degrees and, in 1998, was named by Change Magazine as one of the 21 outstanding leaders in American higher education.  He is widely published including recent publications on Presidential Compensation, and Institutional Governance, both for the Association of Governing Boards.

Kati Haycock, President of the Education Trust
Kati Haycock is one of the nation’s leading child advocates in the field of education.  She currently serves as director of the Education Trust.  Established in 1992, the Trust is an advocate for school-aged children, especially those who are poor or are members of minority groups.  The Trust also provides hands-on assistance to educators who want to work together to improve student achievement, pre-kindergarten through college.  Prior to coming to the Education Trust, Haycock served as executive vice president of the Children’s Defense Fund, the nation’s largest child advocacy organization. 

Richard Legon, President of the Association of Governing Boards of Colleges and Universities
Richard Legon is the president of the Association of Governing Boards (“AGB”) of Colleges and Universities. His experience working with public and independent higher education governing boards, as well as boards of other nonprofit organizations spans more than 30 years.  Much of his experience is focused on boards’ responsibilities for fundraising and financial matters.  Mr. Legon frequently is called on to work with system, campus, and institutionally related foundation boards to address responsibilities, structure and development, and effectiveness.  He often moderates discussions at trustee meetings and is a speaker and panelist at higher education conferences and programs.
He coordinated the development of AGB’s handbook for foundation boards and is the editor of the association’s book, Margin of Excellence –The New Work of Higher Education Foundations, published in early 2006.  He has written several articles on the board responsibilities for AGB’s Trusteeship magazine and Currents magazine, published by the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education.  In addition, he wrote two booklets in AGB’s Board Basics Series:  "Governing Board and Foundation Board Relations" and "The Board’s Role in Fund-Raising."  Mr. Legion holds a masters degree in public administration from George Washington University, has held posts with other nonprofit associations, and has served in both federal and local government agencies.  He has named to the Board of Visitors for the Virginia State University by Gov. Tim Kaine. Mr. Legon is a former trustee of the University of Charleston (West Virginia).

Jane Wellman, Executive Director of the Delta Project
Jane Wellman is the Executive Director of the Delta Project on Postsecondary Costs, Productivity and Accountability, a research and policy organization located in Washington, DC. Wellman is widely recognized for her work in public policy and higher education, at both the state and federal levels, with particular expertise in state fiscal policy; cost analysis; strategic planning; state and federal regulation of higher education; accountability metrics and performance reporting; and quality control including accreditation.  In addition to research and writing, she consults with national and international organizations including the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education, the State Higher Education Executive Officers, the Association of Governing Boards, the American Council on Education, the National Governors Association, the U.S. Secretary of Education, and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.  She is a member of the Board of Directors of the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U), and Argosy University.  Prior to beginning the Delta Project in 2007, Wellman served as a Senior Associate with the Institute for Higher Education Policy in Washington, D.C., was Vice President for Government Relations with the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities, Deputy Director of the California Postsecondary Education Commission, and staff director of the California Assembly Ways and Means Committee. She began her career in higher education finance and planning at the University of California Office of the President, and obtained her Master of Arts and Bachelor of Arts degrees from the University of California – Berkeley.