National search for successor will build on Adair's legacy and QM's leadership in quality online and digital education
Annapolis, MD (PRUnderground) September 24th, 2026
Quality Matters (QM) CEO Deb Adair has announced plans to retire following nearly two decades with the organization, including 11 years as CEO. Adair will continue serving as CEO while the QM Board of Directors conducts a national search for her successor, with a new CEO anticipated in early 2027.
Adair joined Quality Matters in 2007 as Managing Director and Chief Planning Officer and became CEO in 2016. Under her leadership, QM has grown into a global leader in quality assurance for online and digital learning, serving more than 2,600 member institutions across education sectors in more than 40 countries. Its research-supported Standards, professional development and peer review processes have helped educators around the world strengthen the quality of online and digital learning.
"Deb's impact on Quality Matters and the field of online education is difficult to overstate," said Shannon Riggs, chair of the Quality Matters Board of Directors. "Her leadership has helped shape how a generation of educators thinks about quality in online teaching and learning. Just as importantly, she has helped build a remarkable community grounded in research, collaboration, continuous improvement and a shared commitment to learners."
Adair's influence extends well beyond Quality Matters. Over a career spanning more than 35 years, she has served in leadership and advisory roles across higher education and quality assurance, including as president of the International Network for Quality Assurance Agencies in Higher Education. Her commentary and expertise have appeared in and across Campus Technology, EDUCAUSE Review, The Chronicle of Higher Education, RealClear Education, Inside Higher Ed, eSchool News, Higher Ed Dive and University Business, as well as in op-eds, interviews, books and podcasts. She was named an Online Learning Consortium Fellow in 2023.
For Adair, the QM community is an important part of the legacy she leaves.
"While I'm incredibly proud of what Quality Matters has accomplished, this work has never belonged to one person," Adair said. "QM has been built and strengthened by an extraordinary community of staff, members, volunteers and partners who believe deeply in the importance of quality education. It has been a privilege to serve as a steward of that work, and I have tremendous confidence in this community and in QM's future."
Quality Matters Looks Ahead
The Quality Matters Board of Directors is preparing to launch a national search for the organization's next CEO with the support of an external search firm. Staff and members of the broader QM community will have opportunities to provide input as the search progresses.
Adair will continue serving as CEO until her successor begins, followed by a period in an advisory capacity to support a smooth leadership transition and transfer of organizational knowledge and relationships.
"We are approaching this transition with both confidence and excitement about what comes next," Riggs said. "Quality Matters has a strong foundation, an experienced and committed staff, and a deeply engaged community. Our responsibility as a Board is to find a leader who can build on those strengths while helping QM continue to evolve alongside the needs of education."
The leadership transition comes at a time of significant change across education. Quality Matters itself was born during an earlier period of transformation, helping institutions and educators demonstrate that high-quality teaching and learning could happen at a distance. Today, institutions are navigating another period of change, including the rapid emergence of artificial intelligence and evolving questions about educational quality and value.
QM has already begun responding to that changing environment, including ongoing work to continuously improve its professional development model and make learning opportunities more current, flexible, and responsive to member and learner needs. The organization's broader strategic direction will build on work already underway rather than represent a departure from its longstanding mission.
"QM has always been at its best when we bring people together to learn, share and tackle difficult questions about quality," Adair said. "The challenges may be changing, but that commitment is not. I'm excited to see how Quality Matters and this community build on what we've created together."
Additional information about the CEO search and opportunities for the QM community to participate will be shared as the process moves forward.
