Teal Gallagher

During Teal’s two decades with CAIS, she envisioned and co-created an online Accreditation Portal that allowed for the collection of data from the association’s 230+ member schools. The Portal has been adopted by three other state/regional accrediting organizations that, like CAIS, are dedicated to school improvement. Teal also served as a member of the Joint Accreditation Review Committee which, in partnership with the Hawaii Association of Independent Schools, redesigned the CAIS accreditation protocol, leading to an accreditation process that was more focused on analysis and reflection rather than documentation and reporting. In her work at CAIS, she designs and conducts trainings on the use of the Portal, shepherds applicant schools through the application process, and manages community engagement. Prior to finding her home at CAIS, she worked in the Honor’s division (the Transfer Alliance Program) of Los Angeles Valley College, assisting students in their transition to four-year private and public colleges and universities. Teal has worked in the areas of law and finance, holds a paralegal certificate, and graduated summa cum laude from UCLA.