GUEST SPEAKERS
Kristen Soares
President, Association of Independent California Colleges and Universities (AICCU)
Kristen Soares is the fourth president of AICCU. Soares works in partnership with leaders around the state to shape policy for California’s independent colleges and universities. Under her leadership to advance new policy initiatives to address the needs of today’s students, AICCU adopted an agreement with the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office to adopt the Associate Degree for Transfer pathway, a groundbreaking program to improve community college transfer for students. Soares has an extensive background in higher education, policy, administration, and governmental advocacy. Before coming to AICCU, Soares spent nearly 25 years at the University of Southern California (USC). She served as the senior associate vice president for government relations and civic engagement, where she provided strategic direction and leadership for USC’s government and community relations offices in Los Angeles, Sacramento, and Washington, D.C.
Alex Graves
Vice President for Government Relations, AICCU
Alex Graves is the chief lobbyist and is responsible for legislative advocacy and public policy leadership in support of independent higher education. Graves serves as the liaison between AICCU and the Governor’s Office, the California Legislature, California Student Aid Commission, and other public bodies. Prior to joining AICCU, he worked as the legislative advocate at the California State University Office of Advocacy & State Relations, where he staffed legislation pertaining to admissions, financial aid, K-12 and teacher preparation, student basic needs, and transfer. He has also worked as a legislative assistant at the Alzheimer’s Association, and as a graduate research assistant at the Institute for Higher Education Leadership and Policy. In 2016-17 he completed the California Education Policy Fellowship Program, a year-long program designed to help equip education leaders address the state’s unique education policy needs.
Thomas Vu
Vice President for Policy, AICCU
Thomas Vu develops and manages the execution of AICCU’s agenda on state and federal policy. This includes outreach and engagement responsibilities with federal and state policymakers; providing original policy development; and cultivating and managing the internal and external stakeholders required for successful policy development and implementation. Vu leads AICCU’s federal advocacy—engaging with Congress, the U.S. Department of Education, and national higher education associations—and manages the association’s communications efforts. He also represents the independent higher education sector on the governing board of the Cradle-to-Career Data System Office, staffs the AICCU Education Deans and Directors Council, and liaises with the state’s Commission on Teacher Credentialing and the Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education. Vu’s career has been spent in government relations and public policy. Prior to joining AICCU, he worked at the California Chamber of Commerce as a policy advocate with a portfolio that included transportation and infrastructure, workers’ compensation, and international relations and trade.
G. Gabrielle Starr
President, Pomona College & Chair, AICCU Executive Committee
Starr took office as the 10th president of Pomona College in 2017 with a track record of promoting greater access to higher education. As dean of New York University’s College of Arts and Science, she had led the development of new cohort and first-year programs and launched a partnership with New York City’s largest community college. A Pomona College professor of English and neuroscience, Starr was appointed the McConnell Professor of Human Relations in 2022. Starr served on Gov. Gavin Newsom’s California Higher Education Recovery with Equity Taskforce, charged with envisioning a new approach for post-secondary education preparation and workforce readiness as the state recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic. Her writing has appeared in The New York Times, The Chronicle of Higher Education, The Washington Post, The Financial Times and The Boston Globe, among other publications. She is an energetic advocate for engaging in challenging conversations and developing the skills for deep collaboration in an age of socio-political polarization and digital immersion.
Michele Chang
Chief Strategy Officer, Strada Education Foundation
Chang leads strategy development and implementation for Strada, a nonprofit organization dedicated to better connecting education to work. Chang most recently served in President Joe Biden’s administration as deputy assistant secretary for policy for the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration. In that position, she led the department’s $3 billion American Rescue Plan grant programs — including the Build Back Better Regional Challenge and the Good Jobs Challenge — to help communities across the country accelerate their recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. Before joining the Department of Commerce, Chang was executive director for the Markle Foundation’s Rework America Business Network, for which she created and led a coalition of 12 Fortune 500 companies committed to adopting practices to place underrepresented workers without four-year degrees into quality jobs.
Michael Horowitz, Ph.D.
Chancellor, The Community Solution Education System
As the founder of The Community Solution (TCS) Education System, Michael Horowitz, Ph.D., has more than 30 years of experience in higher education in roles that include faculty member, program director, and dean. Prior to founding The Community Solution, Dr. Horowitz served as president of The Chicago School for nearly a decade. Under his direction, The Chicago School grew from a single-program, single-campus institution with 215 students, to a prominent multi-campus leader in graduate psychology and behavioral sciences education, with more than 2,500 students educated annually. Inspired by this success, he envisioned a community model that could provide not just stability but sustained growth—where universities collaborate, gain resources, and share expertise.
Deborah Markos
Chief Operating Officer, The Community Solutions Education System
With more than 30 years of experience in nonprofit and higher education leadership, Deborah Markos serves as Chief Operating Officer of The Community Solution Education System, a nonprofit system of six colleges and universities serving over 13,500 students annually. In her role, she advances system priorities across marketing, global engagement, enrollment, admissions, and student finance, working closely with institutions to align strategic priorities and collective goals in support of student achievement and community impact. She has previously held senior leadership roles at the National University System and Argosy University and currently serves as Vice Chair of Kansas Health Science University’s Board of Trustees.
Nicola Pitchford, Ph.D.
President, Dominican University of California
President Pitchford began her tenure as Dominican’s tenth president in 2021. Her focus on student success is grounded in a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, and to Dominican’s ideals of study, reflection, community, and service. Bringing these commitments to practice, President Pitchford co-chaired the original design team that conceived the University’s signature student learning model, the Dominican Experience. Today, the Dominican Experience places the University among a small group of institutions transformed around a clear vision of hands-on learning, personalized mentoring, and community engagement for a new generation of students.
Breeda McGrath, Ph.D.
President, Pacific Oaks College
Dr. McGrath has over 20 years of experience in higher education leadership and an extensive background in school psychology. She previously served as Associate Dean for the College of Graduate and Professional Studies at The Chicago School. During her nearly 17 years at The Chicago School, she held several leadership positions that included Dean of Academic Affairs for the Online and Chicago campuses. Under her direction, the university achieved significant growth in online student enrollment and greatly expanded academic offerings. She was also instrumental in securing accreditation for several programs and integrating innovative technologies such as AI, telehealth training, and simulation software into the school’s curriculum. In addition to her background in higher education, Dr. McGrath brings to the role years of experience working as a school psychologist in the Chicago area and an eagerness to further develop partnerships between Pacific Oaks and school districts across California.
Laura Bernhard
Senior Researcher, California Competes
Bernhard helps shape the research agenda with a focus on expanding opportunity for adult learners and building a more agile higher education system. Her recent projects include a developmental evaluation of strategic enrollment management for the California Community Colleges, an in-depth qualitative study of "comebacker students," and a design thinking initiative co-creating solutions with working adult learners. Through this work, she elevates California Competes’ policy priorities by generating actionable insights that inform institutional and state strategies. Laura holds a PhD and MA in Higher Education and Organizational Change from UCLA, an MA in Sport Administration from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and a BA in Black Studies from UC Santa Barbara. She is happy to talk about sports at any level.
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Erika Bennett
Administrator, College and Career Readiness, Riverside County Office of Education
Prior to joining the Riverside County Office of Education-College and Career Readiness Team as a Coordinator, Bennett spent 20+ years with Murrieta Valley Unified School District in Murrieta, CA as a high school teacher, school counselor, district coordinator and assistant principal. Bennett's career experiences have provided her with a multitude of opportunities to guide and support students and families as a counselor, grow and develop teaching pedagogy and instructional strategies and continuously develop leadership skills! Although most of Bennett's career was spent at the high school level, as a coordinator of school counselors, Bennett was able to widen her lens as an educator. Coordinating middle and elementary school counselors, provided multiple opportunities to learn and grow from those currently in the field, develop a school counseling scope and sequence in addition to finding and creating counseling best practices all in the interest of doing what is best for children.
Keith Curry
President, Compton College and CEO, Compton Community College District
Dr. Curry is the President/CEO of the Compton College and Compton Community College District (CCCD). Compton College is the 114th California Community College, achieving initial accreditation status on June 7, 2017. Dr. Curry is responsible for overseeing all departments and functions of Compton College and Compton District and serves as secretary for the CCCD Board of Trustees. He brings an abundance of energy and innovative ideas to Compton College, along with a wealth of experience as a postsecondary education administrator. As President/CEO for Compton College, Curry is responsible for promoting student enrollment, success and retention, while working with the college’s vice presidents to develop strategic plans and procedures that enhance their academic and student services programs. Curry is dedicated to the development of new programs and the redirection of existing programs to meet the instructional and student services needs of Compton College students. He is personally invested in delivering on the mission of Compton College, which is to offer a welcoming environment where the diversity of its students is supported in pursuing and attaining academic and professional excellence.
André Stephens
President, Fresno Pacific University
Dr. André Stephens has 30 years of experience in Christian higher education in California, most recently as vice president for student development at Biola University, a post to which he was appointed in 2016. Serving in this cabinet-level role, he led a team that provided authentic, meaningful learning experiences to foster the Christian character of students through areas such as spiritual development and chapel programs, athletics, new student orientation and community life, comprising the offices of Housing and Residence Life, Student Care, Global Student Programs and Development, Commuter Life, Campus Engagement, the Student Health Center, the Learning Center and Student Government.
Nick Anderson
Executive Director of Strategic Communications, American Council on Education
Anderson oversees the American Council on Education's (ACE) comprehensive efforts to engage colleges and universities on a broad range of issues through direct outreach to their leaders and other stakeholders. He is also responsible for designing plans to tackle some of the most significant short- and long-term challenges facing higher education. Before joining ACE in 2024, Anderson covered education for many years for The Washington Post. In that role, he specialized in identifying higher education trends and forging connections with students, parents, faculty, institutional leaders, and federal and state policymakers. He tracked public perceptions of the value of college and pursued stories on topics such as college admissions, affirmative action, and campus sexual assault. Previously, he was a political and congressional writer in the Washington bureau of the Los Angeles Times. He also worked for the Associated Press; The Mercury News; and Palo Alto Weekly.
Tom Stritikus
President, Occidental College
Tom Stritikus is the 17th president of Occidental College. Stritikus comes to Occidental from Fort Lewis College, a public liberal arts college in Durango, Colorado, where he served as president. He brings to Occidental more than three decades of higher education leadership experience, as well as an abiding commitment to values of inclusive excellence and equity. In his six years at Fort Lewis, Stritikus helped to reinvigorate a campus that served high percentages of first generation students and students of color. He oversaw record increases in fundraising and more than doubled the College’s cash endowment. He also led the college as it embraced its role as a Native American-serving institution, which included engaging with Tribal Nations as partners and reckoning with the college’s complicated history as a former Native American boarding school.
Jason Sisney
Budget Advisor, Office of the Speaker of the Assembly
Sisney advises the California State Assembly Speaker and Democratic Caucus on the state budget. He serves as the Assembly’s lead staff negotiator on the state budget with counterparts representing the governor and the State Senate. He also advises assemblymembers on preparations for the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Los Angeles. Sisney provides information to the public on the California state budget and state tax revenues at jasonsisney.substack.com. Prior to joining the Assembly in 2018, he was chief deputy legislative analyst at California’s nonpartisan Legislative Analyst’s Office and a senior rating analyst for bonds issued by universities, local governments, and states at Fitch Ratings in New York. Sisney is a member of the International Society of Olympic Historians and graduated from West Virginia public schools, the University of Virginia, and the Maxwell School of Syracuse University.
Kimberly Rodriguez
Deputy Chief of Staff and Policy Director to President pro Tempore Mike McGuire
Rodriguez has been working in the Legislature for over 25 years with positions both in the Senate and Assembly. With over 10 years of experience in the Pro Tem’s office, she began as Chief Education Advisor to previous Pro Tems. Currently, Kimberly manages an 11-person staff for the Senate Democratic Caucus, working to advance the caucus’ agenda. In her role as deputy chief of staff, she also helps the Secretary of Senate in managing legislative administrative matters for Senate.
Lyndsay Mitchell
Senior Consultant, Assembly Republican Caucus Office of Policy & Budget
Mitchell began in the caucus in 2019 and serves as the caucus consultant for the Higher Education Committee, Military & Veterans Affairs Committee, and the Budget Public Safety Subcommittee. Prior to joining the caucus, Lyndsay worked in both the Assembly and the Senate for nearly 15 years and served as a legislative director to Assembly members Chavez, Hadley, and Senator Vidak. In her tenure, she has mentored seven legislative fellows through the California Assembly and Senate fellowship programs. Lyndsay received her undergraduate degree from Gettysburg College, PA, a member of the Association of Independent Colleges and Universities of Pennsylvania. She graduated with a double major in Political Science and Globalization Studies.
Tyler Aguilar
Senior Executive Director of State Government Relations, USC
Aguilar serves as one of the university’s key liaisons to elected officials and state agencies in Sacramento, advocating for USC’s legislative, budget, and policy priorities. Before joining USC, Aguilar was the Legislative Director for Academic and Student Affairs at the University of California, Office of the President, where he advanced key initiatives to support the UC system. He began his career in Government as a California Senate Fellow and Legislative Aide to State Senator Richard Pan, focusing on K-12 and higher education policy and contributing to significant reforms in these areas. Aguilar is deeply passionate about higher education, expanding access to outdoor recreation, and youth-centered programs. He was appointed to the City of Sacramento’s Youth, Parks & Community Enrichment Commission in 2017, representing District 6, where he championed youth programs and investments in community development projects.
Tani Cantil-Sakauye
President and CEO, Public Policy Institute of California
From 2011 to 2022, Cantil-Sakauye served as the 28th Chief Justice of California and led the judiciary as the chair of the Judicial Council—the constitutional policy and rule making body of the judicial branch—the first person of color and the second woman to do so. Before she was elected statewide as the Chief Justice of California, she served more than 20 years on California appellate and trial courts and was appointed or elevated to higher office by three governors. Earlier in her career she served as a deputy district attorney for the Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office and on the senior staff of Governor Deukmejian, first as deputy legal affairs secretary and later as a deputy legislative secretary.
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Heidi Tseu
Assistant Vice President for National Engagement, ACE
​Tseu is a higher education and government relations professional with experience executing public policy strategies and community engagement initiatives. She comes to ACE from Georgetown University, where she was the associate vice president for local government and community engagement. Prior to joining Georgetown in 2016, Tseu served in a variety of leadership positions within the Council of the District of Columbia (DC). Tseu was the legislative committee director for DC Council Chairman Phil Mendelson when he served as chair of the Committee on the Judiciary and Public Safety, and she was later senior counsel to Councilmember Tommy Wells during his transition to chairing the committee. Tseu has served on various boards, including the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the Office of the State Superintendent of Education’s State Office of Career and Technical Education. She currently holds board leadership positions with the Uniform Law Commission and the ACLU of DC.
Rachel Fishman
Director of Higher Education, New America
Fishman is a researcher, award-winning writer, and advocate, dedicated to centering students and their needs in federal policymaking discussions. She has the honor of leading a diverse team of talented individuals who work together to make higher education more equitable and inclusive. Fishman is a consumer advocate at heart and focuses much of her work on predatory and other practices that harm students, particularly low-income and students of color. She and her work have been cited in such media outlets as the New York Times, the Washington Post, and NPR. Fishman previously worked as an education advisor for The College Planning Center in Boston, where she provided guidance to students and families on how to plan and pay for college.
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Tim Powers
Vice President for Government Relations and Policy Development, NAICU
Tim Powers leads the development and execution of NAICU’s public policy strategy and agenda, in coordination with NAICU’s board of trustees, institutional presidents, state associations, and secretariat members. NAICU’s broad public policy agenda covers issues critical to independent institutions of higher education, with a particular focus on federal regulations, student financial assistance programs, and tax policy. A dedicated advocate for independent higher education, Powers brings a wealth of experience in government relations, policy development, and strategic advocacy to this critical role. His deep understanding of the sector, combined with his ability to build strong coalitions and effectively navigate complex policy and political landscapes, has established him a trusted voice among policymakers, institutional leaders, and higher education stakeholders.
Ravi S. Rajan
President, California Institute of the Arts
In his time at CalArts, Rajan has led a two-year strategic visioning process that, in 2020, established a framework that lays out a map of the work that will take the Institute into its second half-century, built on a foundation of centering the educational experience, removing barriers to access, and shaping a sustainable future for CalArts. Prior to joining the Institute, he lived and worked in New York City for 18 years. A teacher and leader with a reputation for developing innovative and visionary initiatives, he held various leadership roles at Purchase College, State University of New York (SUNY Purchase), and taught students at the Norman (Oklahoma) Public Schools, the University of Oklahoma, and Yale University. While he plays the trumpet and holds degrees in music and education from Yale and the University of Oklahoma, his professional creative practice is as an artist, producer, and director of large-scale works. He has worked collaboratively on time-based, interactive, performance, and public work, developing projects that flow across disciplines.