The Education Department’s ongoing effort to reshape accreditation oversight is continuing alongside personnel and governance disputes at NACIQI. Secretary Linda McMahon appointed Siri Terjesen as a new member of the National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity, effective Tuesday, replacing Joshua Figueira. Terjesen’s appointment arrives as questions swirl about whether Education appointees can vote independently after Figueira was removed following NACIQI chair selection controversy. The reporting notes that Figueira had been removed after voting against Education’s preferred chair candidate, Jay Greene. Terjesen positioned her role around NACIQI’s function—overseeing federally recognized accreditors that gatekeep access to federal financial aid tied to the $1.7 trillion student loan portfolio—and said she would bring evidence and independent judgment to the committee. The accreditation arena has also intensified more broadly: NACIQI has begun to test accreditor recognition decisions and has served as a focal point for the administration’s push to increase changes in accreditation standards and the accreditor ecosystem.