Classification: Financial Services: Planning

(Sponsor Casey Kidwell)

 

Classification: Medicine: Administration

(Sponsor Jerald Forrester)

 

Classification: Finance: Banking

(Sponsor President Thais Winkleblack)

 

Classification: Medicine: Veterinary

(Sponsor Christina Kimerle)

 

Fellow Rotarian Nancy Quellhorst introduced Marten Roorda for today’s program on ACT.

 

Marten Roorda joined ACT as CEO in October 2015. He previously served as CEO of Cito, an international, not-for-profit assessment organization in the Netherlands. During his 13 years at Cito, Marten led the 600-employee organization to international recognition for its work in learning analytics and adaptive testing. Marten holds a master’s degree in Dutch language and literature from Utrecht University. He resides in Iowa City with his wife and five young children under the age of 7.

 

ACT was founded in 1959 by E.F. Linquist, a University of Iowa education professor, who launched the forerunner to the ACT assessment, now known as the ACT college readiness assessment. Lindquist broke new ground, focusing not on cognitive reasoning, but instead on the information taught in schools. Lindquist’s trailblazing assessment sparked a long history of ACT innovation which Marten plans to continue in his role at the company. Marten believes that the ACT mission aligns well with his personal mission – to improve the success of people in education and in the workforce. “I am constantly thinking about the ACT mission and what a difference we can really make in society, closing the skills and achievement gaps, and creating equal chances for all,” Marten said.

 

For more information, please visit: http://www.act.org/.