Liesbeth van Welie, Director for Research Programming, Ministry of Education, Culture and Science, Netherlands

Liesbeth van Welie graduated in biology at Radboud University (Nijmegen, the Netherlands). She started her career as teacher in biology and was a few years later appointed as principal of an innovative new  school for secondary education.  Her second appointment as principal was at an inner-city school in Amsterdam with 26 nationalities where she devoted her work to educating migrant pupils for a successful  further education at the tertiary level. Subsequently she was asked by the president of the University of Amsterdam to start a large program for improving the quality of academic teaching and learning as senior vice-president.  During these years she engaged in an extended international network in the field of quality management, internationalisation and organisational change. At the time she also worked as a consultant for management development in vocational education and training. Her next step was advisor of the Board at Maastricht University, followed by two years at a consultancy firm, where her portfolio contained assignments at most Dutch universities.

After three years as chief inspector of secondary and higher education, the secretary general of the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science asked her to make an organisational design for the enhancement of evidence/information based policymaking. This assignment has been worked out as an innovative network organisation at the level of the Ministry and a research institute as a co-operative of the universities of Amsterdam, Maastricht and Groningen. She will start a PhD program in the field of migrant education.

http://www.minocw.nl/english/