Barbara McNeice-Stallard, MS
Former Director, Research & Institutional Effectiveness
Mt. San Antonio College
With over 35 years of experience in higher education throughout Canada and the United States, Barbara McNeice-Stallard’s notable and varied career is deeply founded in her own education. She holds a Master of Science in Health Behavior and a Bachelor of Science in Honors Kinesiology from the University of Waterloo. She further developed her expertise through varied research work projects with the Canadian Department of National Defense and Clarke Institute of Psychiatry, as well as research and teaching positions at University of Waterloo, McMaster University, Centennial College, and Mt. San Antonio College (Mt. SAC).
For 20 years, Barbara served as the Director of Research and Institutional Effectiveness at Mt. SAC and worked on multiple committees and visiting teams for the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC). She provided her expertise in numerous state and national research endeavors, all while focusing heavily on diversity, equity, and inclusion. Barbara has earned many accolades for her work with the California Association for Institutional Research (CAIR) as well as other national, state, local, and regional agencies in the areas of institutional research. She contributed to many research publications and has served as an organizer, presenter, and facilitator for IRPE activities throughout the state. The employees and Board members at colleges across the state had a profound impact on Barbara’s IRPE skills as did her IRPE husband, Claire Stallard.
During her tenure on The RP Group’s Board of Directors, Barbara held the position of President and consulted on numerous research and planning projects. She worked to create institutional review board (IRB) processes for many colleges and contributed her expertise in program review, integrated planning, and other institutional effectiveness issues. Barbara has been a key contributor on many initiatives and programs for The RP Group and was a Steering Committee member and presenter at the annual Strengthening Student Success Conference for over 15 years. She considers her time with The RP Group as pivotal to her success.
Barbara is one of those leaders whom many researchers have sought out for guidance and who graciously shares her knowledge, skills, expertise, and time freely. Barbara has mentored many new researchers as they navigate the often overwhelming research environment of the California Community Colleges (CCC) system. Over the years, she has encouraged many researchers to take risks and try new professional opportunities to advance themselves and their work towards improving student success in the CCC system.
Among her peers and colleagues, Barbara is known for her courage, initiative, and leadership. She has a great ability to navigate potentially explosive debates, while holding ground for the issues and people she cares about. She is a collaborative problem-solver who sees things through to the end. Barbara is well-regarded in the IRPE community for her in-depth knowledge and skills in research, evaluation, planning, accountability, equity, assessment (both learning outcomes and placement testing), and accreditation. She is a highly motivated person of integrity and, even past retirement, continues to mentor her colleagues as they take on leadership positions around the state.
We are so proud to celebrate Barbara McNeice-Stallard and her lifetime of achievements as a leader, administrator, faculty, staff, coach, mentor, colleague, and friend.