Commission Staff

Kevin Bontenbal joined the ACCJC team in August 2020. He brings with him 23 years of accreditation and college leadership experience, and a strong commitment to the higher education community college system. For the past five years, Dr. Bontenbal has served as an academic Commissioner chairing the Substantive Change and Policy Committees and as a peer reviewer on many external site visits. Most recently, he was the Instructional Technology Librarian/Faculty at Cuesta College. In 2014, Dr. Bontenbal received the Cuesta Presidential Leadership Award for his role in leading the college from show cause to reaffirmation. He has a strong background in college governance and leadership having served in many roles, including Academic Senate President, Curriculum Chair, Accreditation Co-Chair, and Faculty Professional Development Coordinator. From 2010-2013, he also served on the Executive Committee for the statewide Academic Senate of California Community Colleges. Dr. Bontenbal holds a Doctorate in Educational Leadership from the University of California, Santa Barbara, a Master of Library Science from Syracuse University, and two bachelor’s degrees in Philosophy and Religious Studies from California State University, Chico.

Elizabeth Dutton joined the ACCJC team in June 2018. In providing process management and support for the Vice Presidents, she draws upon her years of experience as both an English instructor at Northeastern Technical College in South Carolina and as an administrative and project manager in local government and Mother Jones magazine. She holds a B.A. in English from the University of California, Davis and an M.Phil. in Creative Writing from the University of Glasgow.

Tom Lane joined the ACCJC team in September 1996. Mr. Lane provides a variety of administrative duties in support of ACCJC operations, staff and Commissioners. He also manages the Annual College Directory Update process, maintains current institutional contact information, and supports regular and special projects.

Gohar Momjian joined the ACCJC team in September 2017.  Accreditation is the cornerstone of her 25+ years’ experience in higher education.  As Associate Vice Chancellor of Institutional Development, and Accreditation Liaison Officer (ALO) for City College of San Francisco from July 2012 until June 2015, she provided guidance to the College’s improvement processes and demonstrated leadership in the areas of research, planning, grants, marketing, and fundraising. She later served in the San Mateo County Community College District as Interim Director of Operations at Cañada College. Dr. Momjian also gained in-depth knowledge working with the WASC Senior College and University Commission as the ALO for the American University of Armenia in its early years of development. She holds a B.A. in Psychology with a specialization in Business Administration from UCLA, an M.A. in International Education, Administration and Policy Analysis from Stanford University, and an Ed.D. in Organizational Change and Leadership from USC.

Mac Powell joined the ACCJC team in July 2022. Dr. Powell served as Senior Vice President of the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities and supported the agency’s 163 institutions and 1.3 million students for five years. His career in higher education also includes serving as president of three universities, including John F. Kennedy University, where he led the institution’s successful efforts to become a service-learning institution and a federally recognized and funded Hispanic Serving Institution. Dr. Powell has contributed to the strategic direction of higher education through his service as Chair of the American Council of Education’s Commission on Educational Attainment and Innovation, as a Commissioner on the Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Commission, as a graduate of the WASC Assessment Leadership Academy, and as Chair of the Council of Applied Master’s Programs in Psychology. His most recent scholarship focuses on the role of accreditation in promoting institutional transformation and the closure of institutional equity gaps. Dr. Powell holds bachelor’s degrees in philosophy and sociology, a master’s degree in sociology, and a doctorate in sociology from the University of Missouri, as well as an MBA from National University and a master’s degree in clinical psychology from Antioch University.

Alexandra Spring, M.A., originally joined the ACCJC team in December of 2013 and worked as the Project Manager through October of 2015. After completing her master’s degree she joined us as the Events and Communications Manager and is now the Communications Director. Alexandra brings over a decade of nonprofit management, educational programming, and event management experience to ACCJC. In her current role she oversees internal and external communications including the quarterly ACCJC Connect newsletter, marketing, press releases, ACCJC manuals and publications, web announcements, and timely updates to the field. She also completes annual and special projects including the Commission elections. She holds a B.A. in Political Science from Grand Valley State University and an M.A. in Counseling from Sonoma State University.

Jared Spring joined the ACCJC team in March 2016. He is responsible for the implementation and maintenance of the Accreditation Management Platform and is responsible for all aspects of ACCJC events, including Commission meetings and development workshop, ACCJC trainings, and other events. In addition, he maintains the ACCJC website, provides detailed record keeping and document management, oversees the expenses reimbursement process, and utilizes various customer relationship management programs in his daily work. Jared previously worked for a small nonprofit organization, where his responsibilities included events management and facilitation, IT support, and overall organizational management. He has a B.S. in Business Administration from Humboldt State University.