ETS names Sevak president and CEO

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The ETS board of trustees announced March 28 that Amit Sevak has been named its seventh president and chief executive officer, effective June 15. Sevak will succeed Walt MacDonald, who has been with the Princeton-based educational testing service for 38 years and has served as president and CEO since 2014.

“Amit is a transformational leader — I am excited about the experience and commitment to our mission that he will bring to ETS,” Jeffrey Sine, chair of the ETS board of trustees, said in a statement. “I am confident Amit will be an inspiration to colleagues and customers as the organization moves forward in its work to advance access, quality and equity in education and learning worldwide.”

Sine also added that MacDonald has been “an incredibly effective leader who … leaves behind a legacy of a 38-year career at ETS, during which time his leadership had an immeasurable impact on so many individuals inside and outside of the ETS family.”

Sevak has served in leadership roles internationally, including at the University of Europe in Madrid, INTI International University in Kuala Lumpur and Universidad Tecnológica de México in Mexico City. His nonprofit experience includes Cambiar Education, CityBridge and Education Design Lab. He also provided coaching and capital to startups throughout the world at Mindset Global.

“I have long believed in the incredible power of learning that is embodied in the mission of ETS,” Sevak said. “ETS enables education opportunities for millions of individuals all over the world, I am honored to join the ETS family in advancing this vital mission.”

Founded as a nonprofit in 1947, ETS develops, administers and scores more than 50 million tests a year. It serves individuals, educational institutions and government agencies by providing solutions for teacher certification, English language learning, and elementary, secondary and postsecondary education, and by conducting education research, analysis and policy studies.