Education Quality Outcomes Standards (EQOS) is an independent non-profit organization that is pioneering a novel framework and methodology to measure the quality and efficacy of non-degree credentials (NDCs) in order to help people navigate the increasingly crowded and confusing education and training marketplace. With clear data on credentials, EQOS aims to empower millions of U.S. workers to translate skills into better jobs.
Operated in partnership between the Burning Glass Institute and Jobs for the Future, EQOS evaluates credential quality and develops tools to provide a measurable credential standard for employers, workers, training providers, and educators. We collaborate extensively with post-secondary institutions, workforce boards, employers, and policymakers to inform this data-driven work.
Our vision is to deliver ongoing evaluations of a comprehensive set of non-degree credentials that are user-friendly, that empower real-world decisions, and that accurately describe the lived experience of US learners.
Established in 2020, EQOS was conceived in the wake of the U.S. Department of Education’s launch of the Educational Quality Through Innovative Partnerships (EQUIP) program in 2015, which outlined frameworks to evaluate and disburse federal aid for innovative postsecondary institutions and non-traditional education providers. EQOS’ goal is to establish and deploy a 'signal of quality' such that workers, employers, providers, non-profits, and policymakers can make data-driven decisions related to the quality and outcomes of non-degree credentials.
The EQOS Action Network represents employers, education providers, policy makers, and intermediaries that help shape solutions for workers and learners, institutions, employers, and others. Their contributions are essential to driving more equitable economic opportunity and outcomes:
Michael Horn is a senior strategist at Guild Education and award-winning author of Disrupting Class: How Disruptive Innovation Will Change the Way the World Learns. Michael brings substantive expertise around education innovation, regulation, and accreditation of K-12 and postsecondary institutions.
Ted Mitchell is the president of the American Council on Education and brings a wide array of experience and accomplishments from across the higher education sector, as well as a long-standing focus on helping students gain access to postsecondary education and complete their degrees.
Elise Scanlon is the founder and principal of a Washington, D.C. based law and consulting practice focused on advising accrediting organizations and higher education institutions on federal higher education policy, state and federal regulation, and quality assurance and improvement.
Lisette Nieves is the president of the Fund for the City of New York (FCNY), an institution charged with developing and helping to implement innovations in policy, programs, practices, and technologies to improve the functioning of government agencies and nonprofit organizations in New York City and beyond. Key FCNY programs include the C
Lisette Nieves is the president of the Fund for the City of New York (FCNY), an institution charged with developing and helping to implement innovations in policy, programs, practices, and technologies to improve the functioning of government agencies and nonprofit organizations in New York City and beyond. Key FCNY programs include the Cash Flow Loan Program, the Partnership Program, and the Sloan Public Service Awards. Before joining FCNY, Lisette was the director of educational leadership and policy studies and a full clinical professor at NYU Steinhardt, where she co-led the design and implementation of a doctoral program in educational leadership and innovation and taught organizational theory and behavior and educational policy analysis. Throughout her career of more than 25 years, Lisette has served in a variety of leadership positions in the public and private sectors. She founded Lingo Ventures, served as the Belle Zeller Distinguished Visiting Professor in Public Policy at the City University of New York at Brooklyn College, and was an Obama appointee on the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanics.
Tameshia Bridges Mansfield is vice president for workforce innovation at JFF. She oversees workforce development and future-of-work initiatives with an eye toward innovation and system transformation. Before joining JFF, Tameshia was a program officer at the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, where she led the workforce development and job access p
Tameshia Bridges Mansfield is vice president for workforce innovation at JFF. She oversees workforce development and future-of-work initiatives with an eye toward innovation and system transformation. Before joining JFF, Tameshia was a program officer at the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, where she led the workforce development and job access portfolio, addressing barriers that workers face in securing meaningful employment. Tameshia is a co-chair of the board of the Clean Slate Initiative and a member of the boards of the Detroit Justice Center and the Chicago Jobs Council. She previously served as co-chair of Workforce Matters, where she was instrumental in the creation of the Racial Equity Framework for Workforce Funders.
Stephen Yadzinski is the vice president for strategy & growth at JFF and the interim executive director for EQOS. In this role, Steve works with JFF leaders and teams to identify new opportunities, establish new partnerships, and transform JFF programs and service lines to meet an evolving and dynamic education and workforce ecosystem, le
Stephen Yadzinski is the vice president for strategy & growth at JFF and the interim executive director for EQOS. In this role, Steve works with JFF leaders and teams to identify new opportunities, establish new partnerships, and transform JFF programs and service lines to meet an evolving and dynamic education and workforce ecosystem, leveraging the fields of technology, innovation, and investment to further our mission. Previously, Steve founded the Innovate+Educate Employment Tech Division in response to the critical need to improve workforce readiness for high-demand jobs in key U.S. industries. Under Steve’s leadership, the division grew to include organizational psychologists, data scientists, user interface developers, and others to create leading-edge mobile technologies, assessments, and labor-market insights connecting Americans living at or near poverty with education, training, and quality jobs.
Kristina Francis is executive director of JFFLabs. She oversees insights, incubation, and investing initiatives that connect traditional systems with system disruptors to enable equitable economic advancement for all. Before joining JFF, Francis served in a variety of roles of escalating authority at EsteemLogic, Booz Allen Hamilton, SAIC
Kristina Francis is executive director of JFFLabs. She oversees insights, incubation, and investing initiatives that connect traditional systems with system disruptors to enable equitable economic advancement for all. Before joining JFF, Francis served in a variety of roles of escalating authority at EsteemLogic, Booz Allen Hamilton, SAIC, General Dynamics, and American Institutes for Research. In those positions, she was charged with driving growth, developing strong delivery teams, implementing innovative and collaborative systems, and activating cross-sector partnerships.
Debbie Wasden is the Senior Vice President for Solutions at the Burning Glass Institute. Debbie partners with employers, non-profits, educators, and policymakers leveraging BGI’s unique data-driven insights and tools to develop and deploy solutions that build mobility, opportunity, and equity through skills. Prior to joining the Burning G
Debbie Wasden is the Senior Vice President for Solutions at the Burning Glass Institute. Debbie partners with employers, non-profits, educators, and policymakers leveraging BGI’s unique data-driven insights and tools to develop and deploy solutions that build mobility, opportunity, and equity through skills. Prior to joining the Burning Glass Institute, Debbie was a director with the Markle Foundation, focused on the implementation of the Rework America Alliance. In her role, Debbie led the Alliance’s employer, job insights, and national partnership workstreams.
Matt Sigelman is President of the Burning Glass Institute. He has dedicated his career to unlocking new avenues for mobility, opportunity, and equity through skills. Matt and his team created the field of real-time labor market data, a breakthrough innovation that has transformed the way that policy makers, researchers, employers, educati
Matt Sigelman is President of the Burning Glass Institute. He has dedicated his career to unlocking new avenues for mobility, opportunity, and equity through skills. Matt and his team created the field of real-time labor market data, a breakthrough innovation that has transformed the way that policy makers, researchers, employers, education institutions, and workers understand, plan for, and connect with the world of work. By mining billions of job openings and career histories, Matt led the company that has become Lightcast to become a leading authority on the global market for talent, harnessing advanced AI and natural language processing to render data that provide unprecedented granularity on the changing landscape of opportunity for workers.
As the Managing Director of EQOS, Suzanne Towns brings 20+ years of expertise across inclusive economic development, workforce transformation, poverty alleviation, and advancing gender equity. Prior to EQOS, Suzanne’s leadership roles included Deputy Executive Director of the DC Workforce Investment Council and VP of Collective Impact at
As the Managing Director of EQOS, Suzanne Towns brings 20+ years of expertise across inclusive economic development, workforce transformation, poverty alleviation, and advancing gender equity. Prior to EQOS, Suzanne’s leadership roles included Deputy Executive Director of the DC Workforce Investment Council and VP of Collective Impact at the United Way of NYC, managing a $50 million investment portfolio. Among Suzanne’s many accomplishments are her pivotal role in modernizing Seattle's workforce system; initiating sector and social enterprise partnerships; leading a national Aspen Institute initiative to better identify and support opportunity youth; and in her work at the NYC Alliance Against Sexual Assault, she helped develop statewide professional standards and ran a forensic training institute for healthcare professionals. Additionally, Suzanne played a key role in the economic recovery post-Great Recession in the Bloomberg and Cuomo administrations, where she helped secure $150 million to support affected children and families statewide. A native of New York, Suzanne now resides in Washington DC. She holds a BA from the City University of NY in Forensic Psychology and an MSSW specializing in Workforce Development from Columbia University.
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