Jenette Buffum
Jenette Buffum is an accomplished higher education executive serving as Chief Compliance Officer at Lionel University, where she has led compliance and student services operations since 2021. In her role, she works across every department of the university to ensure adherence to state, federal, and funding regulations, including Title IV federal financial aid, military education benefits, and scholarship and grant oversight. She oversees all regulatory approvals and state authorizations, navigating California’s complex state specific approval requirements outside of the NC SARA reciprocity framework, and manages annual accreditor reporting by collecting and submitting institutional data on retention, attrition, completion rates, placement outcomes, and student demographics, including first generation student populations.
Prior to joining Lionel University, Jenette spent more than five years as Director of Student Services and Compliance at the California Institute of Management and Technology, formerly Meta Business School, where she directed accreditation, regulatory compliance, international student relations, and business operations. During her tenure, she increased retention among the international student population by 23 percent, strengthening both compliance outcomes and student success metrics. Earlier in her career, she served at the University of Riverside, leading efforts in compliance, student services, international academic affairs, and accreditation, building a strong foundation in regulatory leadership and cross functional institutional management.
Jenette has held leadership roles in higher education since 2011, beginning her career in the Anaheim Union High School District as an instructional assistant supporting students one on one before advancing into administrative and compliance focused roles. Since 2019, she has also served as a contractor with Expert Education Consulting, advising institutions on regulatory compliance, state authorization, and accreditation processes across regional, national, and international accrediting bodies. She holds both a Master of Science in Adult, Organizational Learning and Leadership and a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from the University of Idaho and remains deeply committed to advancing institutional integrity, student access, and sustainable growth in higher education.
• Certificate from CIRTL in Research
• Teaching and Learning in Higher Education
• Human Resources Development Graduate Certificate
• University of Idaho - MS, Adult, Organizational Learning and Leadership
• University of Idaho - BS, Psych
• Golden West College - AS, Behavioral Sciences
• Influential Leader Award from Doosan through CalIMT
• Girl Scouts Leader of the Year
• Girl Scouts Leader of the Month (multiple times)
• Distance Education Accrediting Commission (DEAC)
• Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA)
• Girl Scouts - Troop Leader
• Girl Scout Troop Leader focused on health and nutrition reform initiatives
• Partnership with Third Avenue Market food bank for food collection and distribution
• Foster care community volunteer
• Food donation drives and door-to-door collection
What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to the incredible people I've had around me who have shown me what integrity and trust look like in the workplace. Growing up, I always looked up to my aunt Mindy Walker, who took me in. She's really amazing and an incredible leader, not just in the home but in her work field. Along the way, I've had some really great mentors like Tila Manon - these women showed incredible strength through challenges and offered support while teaching me. Even my current CEO, Joshua Lehman, is extremely supportive and shows that he has value in his employees. He's really steady in allowing us to figure things out on our own while offering support. I think the biggest thing I attribute my success to is just the people I've met along the way, whether it's family or mentors in the workplace, and just learning, watching and listening and moving forward with all that they've taught me. It's about integrity, accountability, and the fact that being part of institutions that do what they say and follow through with that really matters.
What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I have ever received is to lead with courage and integrity, especially when navigating complex regulatory environments, and to never lose sight of the fact that policies and compliance decisions ultimately impact real students and real lives. That perspective guides every accreditor report, curriculum review, and compliance determination I make, ensuring that accountability and student success remain at the center of my work.
What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I think it's important to lead with courage and to not be afraid to ask the questions or to learn from people. Making mistakes is fine - we just have to move forward with what we learned from that lesson that we got from it. I think partnering with someone or networking with other women or men in the field helps you figure out what your place is there. It can be harder for us sometimes as women, and so if we have people that we can reach out to and connect with and find support through, I'm all for it. Don't let your starting point define your destination - there's so much potential in each person, and they don't need to be held back by their starting circumstances.
What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The biggest challenge in higher education right now is that we're going through a huge reform with a lot of unknowns and constant changes between this administration and the administration prior to that. The policies and regulations they're trying to move down the pipeline through the Department of Education, whether federal or state, are constantly shifting. Trying to keep up with all of those changes and making sure we're interpreting the actions that need to take place within the institution is the biggest challenge. Higher ed typically moves at a slower pace because so many things are affected when you make one change - for example, one policy in the academic department will filter through the rest of the institution, affecting catalogs, emails to students, and enrollment information. We need to make sure every department that needs to be aware of changes understands them properly. On the opportunity side, accrediting organizations are really good about creating standards and guidelines for universities to have ethical practices while also having the autonomy to create the programs they think are needed. We can meet changes and updated information, and the partnerships with industry are exciting because we're preparing students for field work. We have this autonomy as an institution and within our individual roles to really make an impact through the programs we're creating, and we're not limited by accreditation - we're just supported by it, which is really cool. My end goal is figuring out curriculum designs and ways to engage students so they're actually staying, participating, and completing their programs with less debt and no degree left behind.
What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
The values most important to me are integrity, accountability, and courage. I believe in building systems that protect students and empowering them with these values. If we empower our students with integrity, accountability, and courage, not only are they going to finish the program, but we're creating an environment for sustainable growth for everyone behind them moving forward. It matters that I'm part of institutions that do what they say and follow through with that. I want to make sure that students complete programs with quality credentials and aren't left with debt and no degree to show for it.