Kara Smith Mcwilliams Email & Phone Number

Lead the comprehensive product strategy, driving innovation across our portfolio and introducing cutting-edge solutions that meet the evolving needs of everyone we support in the legal profession. Currently, I'm at the helm of designing, developing, and bringing to market the NextGen Bar Exam—an assessment that integrates doctrinal knowledge with the skills to better prepare the lawyers of tomorrow – and allows them to demonstrate those skills meaningfully. Responsible for the P&L of NCBE’s suite of seven products, I’m committed to ensuring our offerings are not only impactful but also sustainable and strategically aligned with our mission. My primary focus is on building new products that support the ongoing development of legal professionals, providing them with the tools and knowledge needed for success in an ever-changing landscape. Through digital transformation and the introduction of advanced technology, I’m dedicated to pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in legal education and assessment.

Princeton, New Jersey, United States

Launched and led the ETS AI Labs and the Product Innovation & Development division- a global 135 person team innovating the future of assessment. Accomplishments included: • Bringing two new large scale assessment products to market globally • Launching four innovative applications for free use to support equity in education • Patenting five novel AI capability inventions, including a multimodal AI bias mitigation tool• Sharing research breakthroughs via hundreds of conferences and publications• Thought leadership; speaking at numerous live and virtual events, media requests, and publications

Princeton, New Jersey, United States

Founded the ETS AI Labs where we brought the best of the science of how people learn and are assessed together with advanced technology, and delivered it in delightful user experiences to the users we serve.

Helped drive the product strategy of the organization, while working closely with my teams to: ensure that Macmillan Learning’s digital learning products were designed and developed based on core user needs, that learning science principles were applied, and that data analytics were ethically leveraged to uncover how students learn - and those insights were used to build capabilities that support student success.

Greater New York City Area

Doctor Of Philosophy (Phd), Educational Research Measurement And Evaluation

Master'S Degree, Curriculum And Instruction

Bachelor Of Arts (Ba), History And Political Science

Certificate, Ai Applications For Growth: Applying Ai To Solve Business Problems

This program helped senior leaders and executives understand AI as an important commercial opportunity for their company The program.

Certificate, Product Strategy: Discovering, Developing, Managing And Marketing Products As A Business

Accelerated program for senior level leaders who set product vision and drive product strategy in either a start-up or legacy.