Dr. Aarti Dhupelia is an education leader dedicated to advancing equity and economic mobility. She is the CEO of One Million Degrees (OMD), a nonprofit that supports community college students to succeed in school, work, and life. Previously, Aarti served as the inaugural Executive Vice Chancellor and Chief Student Experience Officer at City Colleges of … Continue reading Dr. Aarti Dhupelia

Dr. Rashida Crutchfield is a professor in the School of Social Work at California State University, Long Beach (CSULB) and Executive Director of the Center for Equitable Higher Education (CEHE), which is a research organization dedicated to studying and promoting economic, food, and housing justice. She is committed to amplifying the voices of marginalized communities … Continue reading Rashida Crutchfield, EdD, MSW

Richard Tagle is the President and CEO of E3 Alliance, a cradle to career network based in Central Texas working through data and collaboration so all students succeed. Prior to this, he was the Ceo of the Denver Public Schools Foundation, where private investments were aligned with district priority initiatives and strategies to improve school … Continue reading Richard Tagle

Lauren Williams is cofounder and CEO of Capital B, an award-winning nonprofit local-national news organization serving Black audiences that launched in January 2022. Before starting Capital B, Lauren was senior vice president and editor in chief of Vox, where she managed editorial and business operations. Lauren previously served as executive editor and managing editor at … Continue reading Lauren Williams

Avdeep Dhillon is the co-founder and Executive Director of First Gen Empower (FGE), a nonprofit strengthening the capacity of educational institutions to support first-generation, low-income, and undocumented students. A first-generation college student and immigrant herself, she is driven by a deep commitment to equity. Before founding FGE, Avdeep led a startup’s philanthropic initiative on rent … Continue reading Avdeep Dhillon

John Garcia III is Executive Director of the Pathways Impact Fund at StriveTogether, where he advances opportunities that connect students to college and careers. He co-chaired the Commission on Purposeful Pathways, mobilizing funding for regional intermediaries and elevating bright spots for research and support. With over 20 years across corporate, nonprofit, and government sectors—including senior … Continue reading John Garcia III, Ed.L.D.

Ashish Vaidya serves as President and Chief Executive Officer of Growing Inland Achievement (GIA). Previously he served as a Senior Research Advisor to the National Association of Higher Education Systems (NASH) responsible for evaluating strategic plans of public university systems to assess alignment with state educational and economic goals within the Systems Center for State … Continue reading Ashish Vaidya

Leonor García Guerra is Executive Director for ColaborativoPR, a non-profit corporation with federal and state tax exemption, in charge of the organization’s evolvement and growth, from a collective initiative to its incorporation. Today, ColaborativoPR is the only non-profit College Access and Success providing services for low income & first generation in Puerto Rico and working … Continue reading Leonor Garcia