For the past eight years, Jesse Markow has been engaged as an independent consultant in strategy and business development for companies and non-governmental organizations in the K–12 education sphere. He has led several groups through strategic planning and development, as well as providing guidance in language proficiency testing. Prior to that, he filled several roles with the WIDA Consortium at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, for over 10 years, serving as the Director of Assessment, Director of State Relations, and then as Chief Strategy and Development Officer. During that time, he was the principal point of contact for state departments of education, completing their membership with WIDA and fostering meaningful connections between the states and the WIDA office. Jesse also initiated and directed multiple new endeavors, including the WIDA Annual Conference and WIDA International.
From 1980–1985 he was a consultant, designer, and instructor of teacher education programs for the Center for Teaching International Relations, University of Denver, Denver, CO. He served as an advisory member of the Board of Directors of the National Association of English Language Program Administrators (NAELPA) for six years and received the NAELPA Sustaining Contributions award in 2024.
For many years, Jesse managed the development of statewide customized test programs for ETS and Riverside, including the statewide testing system in California, managing the development of all components of the California STAR. Further, he has consulted for Avant Assessment, TESOL, Learnosity, Confianza, ELPA21, Pearson Education, and other organizations within the United States and internationally. He presents at numerous conferences and professional development venues. Currently, Jesse serves on the Board of Directors for New Meridian Corporation and as Chair of the Education Division of the Association of Test Publishers.