Dr. A. Sidiq Ali, CE – Managing Director

Biographical Sketch

Sid is a measurement scientist, guiding transformative projects in the higher/professional education space focused on credentialing. An empowering leader, renowned data-driven storyteller, and award-winning data visualization champion, he founded RaECon in 2008.

Management and technical consulting across sectors for international/national/provincial professional associations/regulators in: accounting, business valuation, engineering, insolvency and restructuring, law, nursing, midwifery, optometry, real estate, and sanctions/compliance, Sid is a trusted expert, and proven leader of client teams.

He was/is lead psychometrician on the CPA Canada Assessment Development Task Force, CAIRP CNIE Task Force, for the global Certified Sanctions Specialists Exam, the forthcoming Export Controls Specialists Exam and for Engineers Canada on the FEA project. He led the development of program approval/recognition assessment systems for nursing regulators in Ontario and BC, a system also adopted in NB and SK. Sid was also lead evaluator for the Law Society of Ontario’s Pathways to the Profession Program and Articling Experience Study. In the private sector, he was lead psychometrician on assessment system development for certification programs impacting thousands of employees at the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, the Royal Bank of Canada, and Zebra Technologies.

Dr. Ali has a strong track record as a thought leader and key communicator on many large-scale, high-stakes and high-profile projects. He has served as an expert psychometric witness on credentialing-related litigation, and is renowned for engaging and visually-dominant, intentional presentations and award-winning reports. His strong writing ability produces peer-reviewed academic papers, technical reports and results summaries guiding policy and procedure development in his employer and client organizations.

As a Measurement and Evaluation industry leader, Sid earned the Canadian Evaluation Society’s (CES) designation of Credentialed Evaluator, served on the CES-ON Board of Directors, the CES National Board of Directors, and currently sits on the Credentialing Board. Dr. Ali is a reviewer on two scholarly journals, and teaches courses on research and assessment as well as data visualization workshops.

Immersed in M&E for 25+ years, Sid holds advanced degrees (PhD, MEd) in Educational Measurement and Evaluation from the University of Toronto, as well as Bachelor’s degrees in Education (BEd – York University), and the Humanities (BA Hons – McMaster University).

Along with strengths in oral and written communications, Sid has expert analytical skills with both quantitative and qualitative data, and high-level proficiency in the broad areas of research design and credentialing program development, including:

• providing expert strategic and tactical consulting at the program level;
• developing, monitoring and evaluating high-stakes professional credentialing programs;
• developing and validating high-stakes examinations and assessment systems;
• designing, developing, delivering and managing evaluation frameworks;
• developing and validating data collection tools and training/testing materials;
• conducting multi-site evaluations, case studies, needs assessments, interviews, literature reviews, document reviews and content analyses;
• designing and utilizing web-based evaluation tools;
• writing terms of references, technical reports, executive summaries, research bulletins, professional magazine and academic journal articles;
• designing and conducting training, presentations, and workshops;
• facilitating group discussions and focus groups; and
• collecting, analyzing, and synthesizing quantitative and qualitative data.

Dr. Ali reads extensively on history and politics, enjoys travel – having been to all seven continents, is a photography enthusiast and an avid sports fan.