Dr. Jennifer Stephens Helm

As the Vice President for Accreditation and the Accreditation Liaison Officer for the Higher Learning Commission (HLC), Dr. Jennifer Helm provides leadership and oversight of the full range of institutional and specialty accreditation efforts at APUS. She has been at APUS since 2005.

Dr. Helm has led multiple accreditation visits and initiatives at APUS and serves as a Peer Reviewer for the HLC. She has held various roles of increasing responsibility, including positions in assessment and institutional research. She has presented and published her work at national and international conferences, focusing on accreditation, assessment, program review, and online learning.

Prior to APUS, Dr. Helm worked with the Accelerated Schools Project at Stanford University where she developed a nationwide outcome reporting system for the school reform organization. She has taught at both the K-12 and higher education levels. She has also consulted with various higher education institutions, state departments of education, and school reform organizations.

Dr. Helm holds a Ph.D. in Educational Psychology with an emphasis on learning, development, and instruction from Texas A&M University, and has a B.A. in Psychology from the University of North Texas. She has also participated in executive education programs at the Harvard Institutes for Higher Education, and Higher Education Resource Services (HERS) Leadership Institute.