meet Carina McCormick

Qualifications

McCormick's primary educational background is advanced research in education, including application of educational policies. She earned her Master of Arts (MA, 2009) and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, 2015) from the Educational Psychology Department at UNL. The program prepares students to conduct a wide variety of research in education. Her specializations are in educational assessment, especially in fair and valid test use, and in equity in student achievement. Part of this background included a focus on Educational Administration.

McCormick is a noted expert in test accommodations for students with disabilities and students learning English. In addition, she has published on the topic of assessment in higher education, conveying concepts of test validity to higher education administrators and leaders. Another focus of her research is college admissions tests, including methods of ensuring their fairness for students with different backgrounds.

After completing her PhD in 2015, McCormick began working at the internationally recognized Buros Center for Testing at UNL. The Center is self-funded and responsible for developing revenue sources, rather than utilizing state funds. As a Research Associate, she created budgets for large, multi-year projects and ensured the projects were completed on time. In this role, she served as a consultant for many educational agencies across the country and internationally. Of note, she contributed to a major project with the California Community Colleges network to promote access to credit-bearing coursework and reduce unnecessary remedial coursework.

This spring, McCormick left her Research Associate role to focus on completing her Master of Business Administration (MBA) at UNL, from which she graduated in May. Her coursework included a special focus on non-profit management and non-profit finance. In addition, standard coursework included managerial finance and managerial accounting, which added to her capabilities of diligently and accurately completing the fiduciary responsibilities of the Board of Governors.

Since 2018, McCormick has been on the South of Downtown Community Development Organization Board of Directors. The South of Downtown Community Development Organization enriches the quality of life for residents of Near South and Everett neighborhoods through collaboration, economic opportunities, and community development. This role involves reviewing and monitoring financial statements and making decisions about financial resources and expenditures for millions of dollars in assets.

Background

McCormick grew up in Omaha, with a mother who is a nurse and a father who worked at Mutual of Omaha. She originally came to Lincoln thanks to college scholarships, including the UNL Regents Scholarship, the UNL Honors Program Scholarship, and the Peter Kiewit Distinguished Scholarship, which had an explicit purpose of keeping the "best and brightest" students in Nebraska. She continues to believe in the goal of providing desirable educational opportunities for Nebraska's learners of all ages as the most valuable economic development tool available to the state and its businesses.

During her senior year of undergraduate study, she was accepted to the highly selective Teach for America program and completed intensive, expedited teacher preparation training at the University of Houston, earning full certification to teach Social Studies at the middle school and high school level in Mississippi. During this preparation, she received the PRAXIS II ETS Recognition of Excellence for Social Studies, an award given to outstanding students preparing to become teachers. She taught in a high-poverty, segregated school district in the Mississippi Delta, then returned to Nebraska to be close to family and begin graduate school at UNL.

Personal Life

McCormick is the wife of an immigrant who first came to Lincoln to study at UNL. Her dog is also an immigrant, whom she rescued from the streets of India. They share an apartment in Near South with a very comfy cat. She tends a backyard garden, sharing its bounty with friends and neighbors. Prior to COVID, she hosted weekly "porch nights" on her front porch to encourage friends to socialize and create new friendships.

As a person with a disability and a member of the LGBT+ community, she is committed to creating stable and meaningful educational experiences for students in ways that incorporates and embraces their lives and identities.

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