Gaspard’s election was first announced at the Council’s annual Business Meeting & Town Hall Forum, held June 26 during ACBSP Conference 2021 in Miami, Fla. Gaspard will serve a one-year term.
Deborah Gaspard, a faculty member and director of the Marketing and Entrepreneurship programs at Metropolitan Community College in Omaha, Nebraska, has assumed the office of Chair of the 2021-22 Board of Directors for the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP) www.acbsp.org, the first global accrediting body to accredit business, accounting, and business-related programs at all degree levels, and the first business accreditor to offer certificate accreditation.
Chairwoman Gaspard has been an active member of ACBSP since 2003, involved in a variety of leadership roles on both the Associate Degree Board of Commissioners and the Board of Directors. She has also been a presenter, accreditation site evaluator, and mentor. She has been involved with Enactus (formerly SIFE) and Kappa Beta Delta Business Honor Society, serving on the KBD Board of Directors and being named an emeritus member. Still active with KBD, Gaspard advises the chapter at Metropolitan Community College (MCC).
“Professor Gaspard is a gifted educator and dedicated leader of ACBSP. To be the first woman of color installed as our Board Chair is a historic achievement and she brings an important and admired voice not only to our respected organization, but as part of our fundamental commitment to students,” said Jeffrey Alderman, ACBSP President/CEO. “With higher education still facing so many challenges due to the ongoing pandemic, I cannot think of a better person to lead the way during the upcoming year to promote our mission of improving management education throughout the world.”
“As the first woman of color to Chair the Board of Directors of ACBSP, I realize that my role has responsibilities uniquely tied to my identity. Rather than regard those as challenges, I embrace them as opportunities to represent our membership with authenticity and from perspective less often shared within our larger society,” said Gaspard. “ACBSP prides itself on its global reach and the diversity of its membership. In the spirit of continuous improvement, we must strive to identify ways to improve ourselves as educators who celebrate diversity and promote inclusivity in our classrooms. That diversity and the resilience it creates is a part of what makes us great…as an organization and as a force for change.”
About Chairwoman Gaspard
Deborah Gaspard has been an educator in Nebraska for 20 years and teaches an array of courses across business disciplines. Her experience includes traditional instruction and customized training to non-traditional and special populations including secondary dually enrolled, corporate and workforce development, refugee, and reentry transition. Gaspard was awarded the Enactus Jack Kahl Entrepreneurial Leadership Award for the Sam M. Walton Fellow of the Year, the ACBSP Regional and International Teaching Excellence Award, and several awards for service to the community. Service to ACBSP includes Site Evaluator, Kappa Beta Delta International Board of Directors, Associate Degree Board of Commissioners, and ACBSP Board of Directors. Gaspard is originally from New Orleans, Louisiana, and a graduate of Tulane University where she earned a Bachelor’s degree and a Master’s in Business Administration from the A.B. Freeman School of Business. In addition to her work with ACBSP, Gaspard works with nonprofits that serve victims of domestic violence, homeless, veterans, and children in foster care. Gaspard currently teaches at Metropolitan Community College in Omaha, Nebraska.
About ACBSP
ACBSP is a leading specialized accreditation body for business education. ACBSP’s mission is to promote continuous improvement and recognize teaching excellence in the accreditation of business education programs throughout the world. ACBSP accredits business, accounting, and business-related programs at the associate, baccalaureate, master, and doctorate degree levels. Recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) in 2001 and again in 2011, ACBSP was the first to offer specialized business accreditation at all degree levels. ACBSP currently accredits business programs at nearly 1,200 campuses in 63 countries. FAQs / Accreditation FAQs
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