Bill brings his passion for developing trusted relationships and advancing lives to his role at KaWest Consulting. He oversees our partner relationships, leads our industry initiatives, and provides both consultative and incremental leadership services. One example is his role as Executive Director of the Space Workforce Institute (SWI), which creates workforce standards and professional credentials to help build a resilient space workforce, enabling pathways in as well as ongoing professional development.
Bill has spent the majority of his career in operational and sales roles for test administration, credential management, and credentialing organizations, with roles in customer service, program management, business development, operations, and strategy. In these roles, Bill launched and managed numerous national and global assessment programs across many sectors and assisted clients with expanding their programs and implementing strategic partnerships.
As an active contributor to the assessment industry, Bill served on the board of directors for the Association of Test Publishers (ATP) and the Certification Network Group (CNG). He currently serves on the National Advisory Board for the Credential As You Go (CAYG) initiative, on the Governing Board for the Council for Professional Recognition, and on the board of directors for the Institute for Credentialing Excellence (ICE).
Bill holds an MBA from Augsburg University, a B.A. in English and Religion from St. Olaf College, and the Institute for Credentialing Excellence Certified Credentialing Professional (ICE-CCP) certification. Trusted relationships are vital to him, which is why he loves the assessment industry; he believes trust is built through integrity, competence, and doing what you say you will do.
Bryan Kainrath is an expert in learning and development strategy, with a proven track record of designing, managing, and scaling professional certification and credentialing programs that build workforce capabilities and drive organizational growth. As a founding partner of KaWest Consulting, Bryan now helps associations, nonprofits, and credentialing organizations develop high-impact learning and certification solutions that align with their mission and market needs.
Through KaWest Consulting, Bryan provides strategic guidance on program development, operational scaling, competency frameworks, assessment strategy, and credential lifecycle management. KaWest’s services are designed to help organizations launch, improve, or expand professional credentialing programs with a focus on quality, relevance, and market value.
Bryan also serves as President and Founder of the Mission Critical Global Alliance (MCGA), where he leads efforts to build a skilled workforce in mission-critical industries through education, certification, and workforce development initiatives. He is recognized for bringing stakeholders together to drive talent pipelines for sectors vital to public safety, health, and infrastructure security.
Previously, Bryan was Chief Growth Officer at Global Skills Exchange (GSX), where he led large-scale workforce and credentialing initiatives across public and private sectors. Prior to GSX, he spent 14 years as Vice President at CompTIA, where he launched numerous certification products, built the first continuing education program, and founded Examplify, a for-profit subsidiary focused on custom certification development. He was also a founding member of the IT Certification Council (ITCC), helping shape industry standards for professional IT credentialing.
Bryan holds a bachelor’s degree in business and economics from Benedictine University, an MBA from Northern Illinois University, and a Project Management Certificate from Loyola University.
My professional experience in government and nonprofit association management spans over 50 years.
My government work began in the West Virginia Governor’s Office of Economic and Community Development under Governor John D. Rockefeller IV as an Assistant to the Governor. My work initially focused on industrial development and, later, I was asked to be the Director of the West Virginia Golden Mountaineer Program a statewide program through which senior citizens could secure much-needed relief from the high costs of health care services and food purchases. The program received national recognition for its benefit to senior citizens. As Director of the program I worked closely with the West Virginia Legislature to secure its funding.
Transitioning from this program I began my career in nonprofit association management in North Carolina as Director of Government Relations for the North Carolina Manufactured Housing Institute and thereafter as Executive Director for the Illinois Manufactured Housing Association, Executive Director for the Delaware Association of Realtors, and Director of the Automation Federation. In these positions I was extensively involved with state and federal government agencies, state legislatures, Congress, and the White House to advocate for industry issues including the cyber and physical security of our nation’s critical infrastructure.
Currently I serve as the Executive Vice President for the Mission Critical Global Alliance. I also serve as a Board Member for the NC Manufactured Extension Partnership and as a member of the Government Relations committee for the National Career Development Association.
Career Achievements:
- Duke University Certificate in Nonprofit Management
- Instrumental in the development of the U.S. Department of Labor Automation Competency Model
- Assisted the White House, U.S. Department of Commerce, and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security in the development and implementation of the Cybersecurity Framework
- Assisted in the drafting and passage of the Cybersecurity Enhancement Act of 2014
- Assisted in securing a $23 million workforce development grant from the U.S. Department of Labor
