Veteran Research, Psychometrics, and Policy Leaders Join MetaMetrics to Support National and Global Growth Strategy

DURHAM, N.C., Feb. 3, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- MetaMetrics^®, developer of the global standard for literacy and numeracy measurement, today announced the appointments of Dr. Fred McDaniel II, as its first Chief Academic Officer, effective January 26, and Dr. Melody Schopp as Vice President for Government Relations, effective February 2. These appointments build on the company's recent expansion of its executive leadership team and reflect a continued commitment to strengthening MetaMetrics' academic foundation, policy engagement, and global impact.

Following the recent appointments of CEO Chris Minnich and Chief Brand Officer Nadja Young, MetaMetrics is assembling an experienced leadership bench capable of guiding the company through its next phase of growth. Together, these leaders bring deep expertise in educational research, psychometrics, product innovation, and state and national education policy, positioning MetaMetrics to expand the influence of the Lexile^® Framework for Reading and Quantile^® Framework for Mathematics as education systems seek more consistent, transparent, and actionable measures of reading and mathematics learning.

Strengthening Academic Leadership and Research Stewardship

As Chief Academic Officer, Dr. Fred McDaniel will lead MetaMetrics' academic and research agenda, overseeing the organization's psychometricians, researchers, and content experts. Dr. McDaniel brings more than 20 years of experience at the intersection of educational research, psychometrics, assessment, content development, and large-scale product innovation.

Dr. McDaniel began his career working directly with students and families before moving into educational research and measurement roles in a large South Carolina school district, where he supported research, evaluation, and accountability initiatives and helped introduce early implementations of computerized adaptive testing, including NWEA's MAP Growth assessment. He later joined NWEA, where he helped establish in-house content and test development teams and went on to serve in senior leadership roles across product, content, professional learning, and operations, including President of NWEA's District Division.

Most recently, following NWEA's acquisition by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Dr. McDaniel served as Senior Vice President of Product, Content, and Professional Learning, leading teams responsible for content development, product management, and professional development services while navigating organizational transition and continued growth.

"Fred brings deep academic preparation and extensive executive leadership experience to MetaMetrics," said Chris Minnich, CEO of MetaMetrics. "His grounding in educational research and measurement, combined with years of leading psychometric and content teams at scale, uniquely positions him to steward our research agenda and support the rigorous work of our academic teams."

As Chief Academic Officer, Dr. McDaniel will focus on strengthening connections between research, psychometrics, and product development; supporting MetaMetrics' psychometricians and researchers; and ensuring that the organization's frameworks remain technically sound, transparent, and aligned with real-world educational use. He will also lead efforts to elevate MetaMetrics' scholarly voice and reinforce its role as a national and international thought leader in literacy and mathematics measurement.

Expanding Policy Leadership and Government Engagement

MetaMetrics also announced the appointment of Dr. Melody Schopp as Vice President for Government Relations. Dr. Schopp brings extensive experience at the intersection of education policy and practice. Before joining MetaMetrics, she served as Director of Education Industry Consulting at the SAS Institute, supporting the Education Practice with insights into student learning and system-level improvement. Before that, she served for seven years as Secretary of Education for the State of South Dakota, where she was a member of Governor Dennis Daugaard's cabinet.

Her career also includes more than two decades as a classroom educator, six years on a local school board, leadership roles within a state department of education, and work as an independent education consultant supporting K–12 systems nationwide. Dr. Schopp remains actively engaged in national and international education initiatives and recently traveled to Kyrgyzstan through the U.S. Embassy to support the Ministry of Education's efforts to help them redesign their academic standards and assessment systems.

"Melody brings unmatched credibility and perspective to our government relations work," said Nadja Young, Chief Brand Officer of MetaMetrics. "She understands education policy from every angle; as a classroom teacher, a state chief, a national leader, and a trusted advisor to policymakers. Her experience and judgment will be invaluable as we deepen our engagement with state and national partners during a period of significant change in education."

Dr. Schopp has served in numerous national leadership roles, including President of the Council of Chief State School Officers, Treasurer of the Education Commission of the States, and board member of Jobs for America's Graduates. She currently serves on the board of TPI-US.

In this new role, Schopp will serve as a strategic liaison between MetaMetrics and state legislatures, state and local education agencies, and executive branches of state government. She will extend thought leadership and partnerships with national organizations and advocacy groups to ensure that educators, parents, and policymakers have an accurate view of academic and career outcomes in their states. She will play a key role in advancing MetaMetrics' policy engagement as education systems navigate evolving standards, accountability models, and workforce alignment.

Building an Experienced Leadership Bench for the Future

"These appointments reflect our belief that advancing literacy and numeracy at scale requires both deep academic credibility and thoughtful policy engagement," Minnich said. "Fred and Melody each bring decades of experience, a strong sense of stewardship, and a shared commitment to ensuring that our universal measures of reading and math serve educators, students, and systems with integrity."

Together with Minnich and Young, Dr. McDaniel and Dr. Schopp join President Jason Turner, Chief Revenue Officer Mike Crepeau, and Chief Financial Officer Jay Sweda as a strengthened executive leadership team guiding MetaMetrics into its next chapter. The company's renewed strategic vision focuses on expanding its global reach, advancing scientific rigor, and supporting career-connected education systems with trusted, actionable measures that help every learner grow.

About MetaMetrics®

MetaMetrics is an award-winning edtech company that provides the global standard for measuring literacy and numeracy. The Lexile® and Quantile® Frameworks connect students' reading and math abilities to the complexity of content on the same scale, making learning more personalized. Millions of learners receive our measures, turning individual moments of assessment into meaningful connections that empower learning. For over 40 years, our research-based, consistent, and actionable measures have been trusted by educators, publishers, assessment providers, and policymakers worldwide. Leveraging the most advanced language models and learning theory, MetaMetrics continues to innovate solutions for a wide range of applications, including early reading, career-connected learning, and literacy frameworks for non-English languages. Lexile and Quantile measures increase engagement with learning across the education ecosystem, inspiring everyone to build life skills for a brighter tomorrow. Learn more at MetaMetrics.com.

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