Kara McWilliams Appointed Chief Product Officer at NCBE
MADISON, WISCONSIN, October 24, 2024—The National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE) is pleased to announce the appointment of Kara McWilliams, PhD, as its Chief Product Officer. In this role, McWilliams will lead the development and execution of NCBE’s current product strategy, guide the delivery of the NextGen bar exam, and oversee the introduction of new business models and innovative products and services.
With over 15 years of experience in the assessment industry, McWilliams brings a wealth of expertise in shaping and delivering cutting-edge education, training, and assessment solutions. She will align NCBE’s products with the evolving needs of the legal profession, focusing on enhancing support for candidates and jurisdictions to further deliver on NCBE’s mission of building a competent, ethical, and diverse legal profession.
"I am honored to join NCBE at such a dynamic moment of evolution and growth,” said McWilliams. “The NextGen bar exam represents a transformative initiative that will enhance how we evaluate both foundational knowledge and the practical skills essential for success in today’s legal landscape. My broader vision for our product strategy is to not only address current needs but also anticipate the future demands of legal practice, fostering innovative and meaningful solutions for the candidates and jurisdictions we serve."
McWilliams previously held the role of Vice President of Product Innovation and Development at Educational Testing Service (ETS), where she led teams in the creation of AI-enabled assessments and learning solutions. She serves as an advisor on several boards, including the Surpass Copilot Advisory Board, the General Assembly Skills for the Future Advisory Board, and the Duke AI for Product Innovation Advisory Board. McWilliams holds a PhD in Educational Research, Measurement, and Evaluation, as well as a Master of Arts in Teaching, from Boston College.
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About the National Conference of Bar Examiners
The National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE), headquartered in Madison, Wisconsin, is a not-for-profit corporation founded in 1931. NCBE promotes fairness, integrity, and best practices in bar admissions for the benefit and protection of the public, in pursuit of its vision of a competent, ethical, and diverse legal profession. Best known for developing bar exam content used by 54 US jurisdictions, NCBE serves admission authorities, courts, the legal education community, and candidates by providing high-quality assessment products, services, and research; character investigations; and informational and educational resources and programs. In 2026, NCBE will launch the next generation of the bar examination, ensuring that the exam continues to test the knowledge, skills, and abilities required for competent entry-level legal practice in a changing profession. For more information, visit the NCBE website at https://www.ncbex.org.
About the Next Generation of the Bar Exam
Set to debut in July 2026, the NextGen bar exam will test a broad range of foundational lawyering skills, utilizing a focused set of clearly identified fundamental legal concepts and principles needed in today’s practice of law. The skills and concepts to be tested were developed through a multi-year, nationwide legal practice analysis, focused on the most important knowledge and skills for newly licensed lawyers. Designed to balance the skills and knowledge needed in litigation and transactional legal practice, the exam will reflect many of the key changes that law schools are making today. NCBE is committed to ensuring a systematic, transparent, and collaborative implementation process, informed by input from and participation by stakeholders, and guided by best practices and the professional standards for high-stakes testing. For more information, visit https://nextgenbarexam.ncbex.org/ or https://www.ncbex.org/exams/nextgen.