2025 HPN Futures Speakers

Dr. Manny Straehle, GISF

Founder and President of Assessment, Education, and Research Experts

Manny is a consulting assessment, educational, and research expert with a number of work experiences with licensure and certification organizations, over 30 years of experience in developing assessments, and a specialization in developing competency models. He has vast experience in psychometrics, testing, assessment, evaluation, and competency modeling. As Founder and President of AERE, Manny leads a team of almost 30 experts in various psychometric, testing, and assessment activities, competency modeling, marketing and survey research, aptitude and employment selection testing, performance-based assessments, stackable credentials, and other research and evaluation projects.

Manny has held roles at the Advertising Research Corporation (ARC), Media Broadcasting Company (Pharmaceutical Marketing), National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME), Genesis Healthcare, Prometric, and Green Building Certification Institute (GBCI), and Founding Partner and Chief Assessment Officer at International Credentialing Associates (ICA).

Manny received his doctorate from Temple University in Educational Psychology, focusing on psychometrics and evaluation. In addition to his AERE consultation activities, Manny has taught psychology, statistics, research, and education at higher education institutes over the past 20 years, including prestigious universities such as Penn State University, Saint Joseph’s University, Johns Hopkins University, University of Southern California, and George Washington University.

In his free time, he spends it with his family, including his two sons.

Zach McElgunn

VP, Education & Devlopment 

Zach McElgunn began doing behavioral health research as an undergraduate student studying the psychological and physical effects of diabetes at the University of Virginia. Since this time of poster presentations, statistical analysis, and behavioral health narrative analysis, he has spent the past 9 years working with associations and community organizations in the healthcare, behavioral health, and human services spaces to more precisely define “quality,” and understand the mechanisms that bring quality improvement goals to fruition. This includes work to achieve both individual and organizational accreditations and certifications; the development of continuing education programming; technical assistance for the implementation of well-defined models of care (i.e. EBPs); and the reduction of variability in service delivery. Currently, his work sits at the intersection of implementation science, organizational culture, and third-party evaluation of systems of practice.