Our Staff

India Y. Tips Executive Director

India Tips currently serves as the Executive Director of the Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools (ABHES). She is responsible for overseeing the daily operations and all accreditation activities, including the review and implementation of Commission-directed actions. She serves as the liaison to state and federal regulatory bodies, including the U.S. Department of Education, national and other accrediting agencies, and credentialing bodies in the health field.

Ms. Tips joined ABHES in November 1995. In her 25-year tenure, her experience spans the full spectrum of accreditation, membership services, and operations. She developed the educational content and curricula for the required training’s for initial and renewal applicants where she has been the lead presenter for nearly 15 years. She has participated in and supported efforts for more than five petitions for re-recognition by the U.S. Department of Education. Ms. Tips also serves as the staff liaison to the Commission’s Standards Review Committee (SRC) charged to review all components of the Accreditation Manual to ensure its content is relevant, adequate, and predictive of successful qualitative outcomes. She has been instrumental in the management and successful execution of 16 conferences serving more than 400 attendees and exhibitors annually, and has performed hundreds of accreditation visits to institutions seeking initial and renewal ABHES accreditation.

Education

Bachelor of Science in Mathematics, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA

Email

itips@abhes.org

De'Vante Allen Accreditation Coordinator

Mr. De’Vante Allen joined ABHES in November 2021 and currently serves as an Accreditation Coordinator. He primary responsibilities include coordinating and conducting on-site evaluation visits. As a coordinator, Mr. Allen provides support and interpretive guidance on accreditation standards to institutions and evaluators before, during, and after the on-site visit.

Education

Bachelor of Science in Psychology, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA

Email

dallen@abhes.org

Hannah Boers Accreditation Coordinator

Ms. Hannah Boers joined ABHES in November 2021 and currently serves as an Accreditation Coordinator. Her primary responsibilities include coordinating and conducting on-site evaluation visits. As a coordinator, Ms. Boers provides support and interpretive guidance on accreditation standards to institutions and evaluators before, during, and after the on-site visit.

Education

Bachelor of Science in Organizational Leadership, Point University, West Point, Georgia

Email

hboers@abhes.org

Kyle Boyles Manager of Membership Services

Mr. Boyles joined ABHES in June 2015 and currently serves as the Manager of Membership Services. His responsibilities include planning on-site evaluation visits, conducting preliminary visits to confirm applicant eligibility and readiness to undergo the evaluation process, and co-presenting the Accreditation Workshop, Program Effectiveness Plan Workshop, and various webinars for initial and renewal applicants. Additionally, he serves as the staff liaison to the Financial Review Committee (FRC), Preliminary Review Committee (PRC), and the Surgical Technology Programmatic Accreditation Committee (ST-PAC). He also works with the Substantive Change Committee (SCC) to process change in legal status, ownership, or control applications.

Education

Bachelor of Arts in Economics and International Studies, Lycoming College, Williamsport, PA

Email

kboyles@abhes.org

Crystal Calarusse Associate Executive Director of Program Development and Innovation

Crystal Calarusse serves as the Associate Executive Director of Program Development and Innovation.  Ms. Calarusse joined ABHES in August 2020.  She oversees ABHES’ Program Department and manages the review process for institutional changes, and ensures policies are consistently applied when analyzing and processing program-related applications. She is also responsible for leading initiatives relative to distance education and other higher education trends, including monitoring and tracking regulatory changes by state licensing, national credentialing and federal authorities that impact program-specific operations.

Ms. Calarusse has served almost 20 years in leadership positions in higher education accreditation, including Chief Executive Officer of the International Network for Quality Assurance Agencies in Higher Education, Chief Accreditation Officer at the Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs, and Administration, and as a board member of the Association of Specialized and Professional Accreditors. She has published and presented widely on accreditation matters, in particular equity issues and globalization, and is currently seeking a PhD in public policy at the University of Maryland, College Park.

Education

Master of Public Policy, University of Maryland, College Park, MD
Bachelor of Public Policy, New College of Florida, Sarasota, FL

Email

ccalarusse@abhes.org

Kelly Costello Associate Director of Accreditation

Ms. Costello joined ABHES in June 2013 and currently serves as the Associate Director of Accreditation. Her primary responsibilities include training and assisting travel staff in conducting visits as well as managing the ABHES Standards Review Committee.

Education

Bachelor of Arts in History and Psychology, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL

Email

kcostello@abhes.org

Holly Doering Senior Project Manager

Ms. Doering has been with ABHES since May 2010 and now serves as the Senior Project Manager. Her primary responsibilities include developing and maintaining the information systems including the accreditation management and annual report management systems. Additionally, she assists with all activities related to institutional and programmatic annual reporting. Ms. Doering also serves as a staff liaison to the Annual Review Committee.

Education

Master of Business Administration, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV
Bachelor of Business Administration with a concentration in Finance, Strayer University, Woodbridge, VA

Email

hdoering@abhes.org

Shakeera Harden Accreditation Coordinator

Mrs. Shakeera Clayton joined ABHES in October 2023 and currently serves as an Accreditation Coordinator. Her primary responsibilities include coordinating and conducting on-site evaluation visits. As a coordinator, Mrs. Clayton provides support and interpretive guidance on accreditation standards to institutions and evaluators before, during, and after the on-site visit.

Education

Bachelor of Science in Hospitality , Virginia State University, Petersburg, VA

Email

sharden@abhes.org

Hasna El houdaigui Junior Staff Accountant

Hasna El houdaigui is a Junior Staff Accountant. She joined ABHES in 2023. Her primary responsibilities are posting journal entries, updating financial statements, maintaining accounts receivable and accounts payable, paying monthly payroll, and processing retirement contributions. Hasna’s duties also include providing support for annual audit and financial tax compliance records and assisting in the annual budging process. Prior to working at ABHES, Hasna worked in the accounting field for more than ten years.

Education

Bachelor of Business Administration, Institut Superieur de Gestion et de Commerce, Casablanca, Morocco

Email

helhoudaigui@abhes.org

Wazhma Ibrahim Senior Accreditation Coordinator

Ms. Wazhma Ibrahim joined ABHES in September 2015 and currently serves as a Senior Accreditation Coordinator. Her primary responsibilities include planning specialized on-site evaluation visits, coordinating these visits through travel with the teams. Ms. Ibrahim is the staff liaison to the Programmatic Accreditation Committees for Medical Assisting and Medical Laboratory Technology. Additionally, she serves on the ABHES Standard Review Committee and works closely with ABHES evaluators.

Education

Bachelor of Arts in Communications, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA

Email

wibrahim@abhes.org

Maya Moten Program Coordinator

Maya Moten joined ABHES in June 2021 as an Accreditation Coordinator. Her primary responsibilities include coordinating and conducting on-site evaluation visits. As a coordinator, Ms. Moten provides support and interpretive guidance on accreditation standards to institutions and evaluators before, during, and after the on-site visit.

Education

Bachelor of Science in Political Science, UNC-Greensboro, Greensboro, NC

Email

mmoten@abhes.org

Vicmar Paz-Morales Manager of Operations

Vicmar Paz-Morales joined ABHES in April 2023 and currently serves as Manager of Operations. In her role, she is responsible for the day-to-day operations of managing the Accounting Department, Vendors, Events & Conferences, and HR-related matters.

Vicmar has dedicated her career to supporting the professional and academic advancement of young professionals. Her experience within non-profit management includes seven years with the Hispanic College Fund and ten years experience in higher education.

Education

Bachelor of Arts in Communications, Marymount University, Arlington, VA
Project Manager Certificate, Georgetown University, Washington, DC

Email

vpaz@abhes.org

Gina Rice-Holland Program Specialist

Ms. Gina Rice-Holland joined ABHES in November 2019 and serves as Program Specialist in the ABHES Program Department. Her primary responsibilities include the review of new and revised program applications, notifications, and modifications. She conducts on-site evaluation visits and serves on several committees, including the ADVANTAGE Newsletter Task Force, Distance Education Committee, Surgical Technology -PAC, and Medical Laboratory Technician -PAC. 

Gina has over 20+ years of Higher Education experience overseeing eight campuses, from Campus Director to Corporate Director of Admissions. Her experience includes working at several universities, from large state schools to small technical colleges, with equal passion and vigor and implementing strategic initiatives of new learning management systems (LMS), customer relationship management (CRM), and operation reorganization.  

Education

Master of Science in Higher Education Administration, Bay Path University, Longmeadow, MA
Master of Business Administration, University of Phoenix, Arlington, VA
Bachelor of Science in Business Management, University of Phoenix, Arlington, VA
Associate in Computer and Information Science, ECPI University, Manassas, VA

Email

grice-holland@abhes.org

Alison Roope Senior Accreditation Specialist

Alison Roope Joined ABHES in April 2022 and is currently a Senior Accreditation Specialist. Her primary responsibilities include application review, strategic project support, and peer review visits. She also serves as a staff liaison to the Substantive Change Committee, the Distance Education Committee, and the Pharmacy Technician Committee.

Ms. Roope has nearly 20 years of higher education accreditation, licensure, and compliance experience. Throughout her career, Ms. Roope has served as an Accreditation Specialist, Compliance Officer, Associate Director of Compliance, and Director of Operations in postsecondary institutions. She is an active member of the education community, serving on advisory boards, regulatory committees, and evaluation teams.

Education

Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a Concentration in Management, Barton College, Wilson, NC

Email

aroope@abhes.org

Amy Rowe Associate Executive Director of Membership Services

Ms. Rowe joined ABHES in August 2003 and currently serves as the Associate Executive Director of Membership Services, Ms. Rowe oversees the initial and renewal accreditation activities and manages the Commission’s school agenda. She is also responsible for overseeing the development and maintenance of various training opportunities for member institutions and programs and co-presents workshops and webinars. Additionally, she is responsible for conducting preliminary consultation visits to confirm applicant eligibility and readiness to undergo the evaluation process. Ms. Rowe is a member of the ABHES Leadership Team.

Education

Bachelor of Science in Family and Consumer Sciences, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV

Email

arowe@abhes.org

Melissa Santillana Program Coordinator

Ms. Melissa Santillana joined ABHES in May 2021 and currently services as a Program Coordinator. Her primary responsibilities include coordinating and conducting on-site evaluation visits. As a coordinator, Ms. Santillana provides support and interpretive guidance on accreditation standards to institutions and evaluators before, during, and after the onsite visit.

Education

Master of Business Administration, Longwood University, Farmville, VA
Master of Education in Curriculum and Instruction, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA
Bachelor of Arts in Integrative Studies with a Concentration in Elementary Education, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA

Email

msantillana@abhes.org 

Khairi Scott Accreditation Specialist

Khairi Scott joined ABHES in October 2023 and serves as an Accreditation Specialist. Khairi Scott was born and raised in Philadelphia, PA, and enjoys helping others. If he could choose one word to describe himself, it would be “servant.” He believes we can make the world a better place through servant leadership. In his spare time, he volunteers as a Hospice Coordinator for the terminally ill and provides end-of-life palliative care for each person’s needs. A fun fact about Khairi is that he is a videographer for weddings, birthdays, engagements, and other special events.

Education

Bachelor of Science in Biology, The Lincoln University of Pennsylvania, PA
Master of Science in Human Resources, The Lincoln University of Pennsylvania, PA

Email

kscott@abhes.org 

Alyssa Smith Accreditation Coordinator

Ms. Alyssa Smith joined ABHES in October 2022 and currently serves as an Accreditation Coordinator. Her primary responsibilities include coordinating and conducting on-site evaluation visits. As a coordinator, Ms. Smith provides support and interpretive guidance on accreditation standards to institutions and evaluators before, during, and after the on-site visit.

Education

Master of Arts in Speech-Language Pathology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD
Bachelor of Arts in Hearing and Speech Sciences and Disorders, University of Maryland, College Park, MD

Email

asmith@abhes.org

Grace Szalay Accreditation Coordinator

Ms. Grace Szalay joined ABHES in October 2023 as an Accreditation Coordinator. Her primary responsibilities include coordinating and conduction on-site school visits.  As a coordinator, Ms. Szalay provides support and interpretive guidance on accreditation standards to institutions and evaluators before, during, and after the on-site visit.

Education

Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, Virginia

Email

gszalay@abhes.org

Denise Thelemaque Office Manager

Ms. Thelemaque joined ABHES in October 2019 as the Office Manager. Ms. Thelemaque’s primary responsibilities include general office oversight, processing of change in director notifications, annual conference and workshop preparation, and administrative assistance to the leadership team. Denise comes with 25+ years of combined experience providing high-quality training and management in the banking and financial services industry and executive-level client services in various industries.

Education

Master of Arts in Management and Professional Studies, University of Massachusetts, Boston, MA

Email

dthelemaque@abhes.org