“ON RAMPS”
WORKING GROUP PARTICIPANT BIOS
Spring, 2015
Cambridge, MA
KATHERINE NEWMAN
Katherine Newman is the Provost and Senior Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs
at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Her office oversees the academic
missions of the campus in education, scholarship, and outreach and services. Prior
to her current position she was the James B. Knapp Dean of the Krieger School of
Arts and Sciences and Professor of Sociology at Johns Hopkins. She was one of the
original members of the Saguaro Seminar and has taught at Princeton, Harvard,
and Columbia. A noted sociologist, Newman has written 12 books on the working
poor, middle class economic insecurity and school violence.
THOMAS BAILEY
Thomas Bailey is the George and Abby O’Neill Professor of Economics and
Education at Teachers College, Columbia University. He is also Director of the
Community College Research Center and two National Centers: the Center for
Analysis of Postsecondary Education and Employment and the Center for the
Analysis of Postsecondary Readiness. In 2010, Arne Duncan, Secretary of Education,
appointed him chair of the Committee on Measures of Student Success, which
developed recommendations for community colleges to comply with completion
rate disclosure requirements under the Higher Education Opportunity Act. Bailey
has been a member of the National Academy of Education since 2012.
RONNIE L. BOOTH
Ronnie L. Booth is the third president of Tri-County Technical College. During his
seven years at the school, Dr. Booth has launched the College’s first two branch
campuses with a third branch soon to open. He has also initiated several new
programs, including the Gateway to College program for high school drop-outs and
the Bridge to Clemson program with Clemson University. He previously served as
vice president of external programs at Gainesville College in Georgia and in various
capacities at Piedmont College, Gordon-Cornwell Theological Seminary, and
numerous other schools.
MICHAEL CROW
Michael Crow became the 16th president of Arizona State University in 2002. He
was previously executive vice provost of Columbia University, where he was also
professor of science and technology policy in the School of International and Public
Affairs. Crow served as the chief strategist of Columbia’s research enterprise and is
also a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
and a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.
“ON RAMPS”
WORKING GROUP PARTICIPANT BIOS
Spring, 2015
Cambridge, MA
ROSS GITTELL
Ross Gittell is Chancellor of the Community College System of NH. He has an
extensive background in university teaching and strategic planning. Gittell’s focus
has been on applying economic, organizational and management theory to
regional, state, and community economic development issues. He has been a
resource for non-profit and business decision makers nationally on issues such as
economic policy, workforce development, job creation strategies, community
development, and the business climate
SARA GOLDRICK-RAB
Dr. Sara Goldrick-Rab is the Professor of Educational Policy Studies and Sociology at
the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Her research and writing discusses the
intended and unintended consequences of the college-for-all movement in the US.
In multiple experimental, longitudinal, and mixed-methods research projects, she
has examined the implications of financial aid policies, welfare reform, transfer
practices, and a range of interventions aimed at increasing college attainment
among marginalized populations. In May of 2014, Goldrick-Rab became the
founding director of the Wisconsin HOPE Lab, a research laboratory aimed at
identifying new and effective ways to minimize barriers to college completion.
ANTONIA HERNANDEZ
Antonia Hernandez became president and chief executive officer of California
Community Foundation, a large and active philanthropic organization in Southern
California, in 2004. The foundation supports nonprofit organizations and public
institutions with funds for health and human services, affordable housing, early
childhood education, community arts and culture and other areas of need. Prior to
this position, Ms. Hernandez was president and general counsel of the Mexican
American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF), a national nonprofit and
advocacy organization dedicated to protecting the civil rights of the nation’s
Latinos.
HARRY HOLZER
Prior to going to Georgetown, Professor Holzer served as Chief Economist for the
U.S. Department of Labor and professor of economics at Michigan State University.
He has also been a Visiting Scholar at the Russell Sage Foundation in 1995, and a
Faculty Research Fellow of the National Bureau of Economic Research. Over most
of his career, Professor Holzer's research has focused primarily on the low-wage
labor market, and particularly the problems of minority workers in urban areas. In
recent years he has worked on the quality of jobs as well as workers in the labor
market, and how job quality affects the employment prospects of the
disadvantaged as well as worker inequality and insecurity more broadly. He has
also written extensively about the employment problems of disadvantaged men,
advancement prospects for the working poor, and workforce policy more broadly.
“ON RAMPS”
WORKING GROUP PARTICIPANT BIOS
Spring, 2015
Cambridge, MA
ANDREW KELLY
Andrew Kelly is the director of the Center on Higher Education Reform and resident
scholar in education policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute. His
research focuses on higher education policy, innovation, financial aid reform, and
the politics of education policy. Previously, he worked as a research assistant at AEI,
where his work focused on the preparation of school leaders, collective bargaining
in public schools, and the politics of education. He is also co-editor of “Stretching
the Higher Education Dollar: How Innovation Can Improve Access, Equity, and
Affordability”.
JOHN V. LADD
John Ladd became the Administrator of the Office of Apprenticeship in January
2008. As the Administrator, John has responsibility for oversight of the National
Registered Apprenticeship System, which operates in cooperation with State
agencies, businesses, industry, employers, employer associations, labor and
management organizations and educational institutions. Prior to his appointment,
John served as the Deputy Administrator for the Office of National Response and
the Director of Regional Management in the Office of Field Operations. John
received his Master’s in Public Policy from the Kennedy School of Government.
HERMANN NEHLS
Hermann Nehls is the Counselor for Labor, Health and Social Affairs for DGB, the
largest trade union federation. He is responsible for the development of strategic
proposals to DGB’s governing body, development and implementation of
educational policy related to initial and continuing training with the interests of
DGB, and international duties.
DOROTHY STONEMAN
Dorothy Stoneman is the Founder and CEO of YouthBuild USA, Inc., which supports
over 265 YouthBuild programs in the US and Internationally. She is also chairman of
the National YouthBuild Coalition. After joining the Civil Rights movement in 1964,
Stoneman lived and worked for 24 years in Harlem. She was first a public school
teacher and then director of a community based day care center before beginning
the first YouthBuild program in East Harlem in 1978 and served as its director for
ten years. Over time she has built grassroots coalitions that have succeeded in
obtaining over one billion dollars of city, state, and federal funds for communitybased organizations to implement programs for youth and community
development in low-income neighborhoods.
“ON RAMPS”
WORKING GROUP PARTICIPANT BIOS
Spring, 2015
Cambridge, MA
TOM SANDER
Since its founding in 1996, Tom Sander has been Executive Director of the Saguaro
Seminar: Civic Engagement in America, a program at Harvard Kennedy School that
has brought together leading practitioners and thinkers for a multi-year discussion
to develop broad-scale, actionable ideas to fortify our nation's civic connectedness.
He managed the research teams (and often served as senior researcher) for the
research projects culminating with the books Our Kids: The American Dream in
Crisis (2015), American Grace: How Religion Divides and Unites Us (2010), Better
Together (2003) and Bowling Alone (2000). He was the project manager on the
Social Capital Community Benchmark Survey - the largest survey of social capital todate (surveying over 30,000 Americans in 41 communities in 2000) - and on two
panel surveys on social capital after the September 11 terrorist attacks.
KYLE GIBSON
Kyle (Kylie) Gibson is the Assistant Director of the Saguaro Seminar: Civic
Engagement in America, a research initiative of Professor Robert D. Putnam at
Harvard Kennedy School. She man-ages the overall administration of the program
and provides research administration, human resources, financial, and events
planning guidance the program. She also manages Professor Putnam's speaking
and travel engagements. Kylie joined the Saguaro Seminar in the summer of 2008.
TARA TYRELL
Tara Tyrrell is the Staff Assistant at the Saguaro Seminar: Civic Engagement in
America, a re-search initiative of Professor Robert D. Putnam at Harvard Kennedy
School. Tara provides administrative support to the program and course support to
Professor Putnam.
Auden Laurence
Auden Lawrence serves as a research assistant to the Saguaro Seminar: Civic
Engagement in America. A current Harvard undergrad, Auden will be the
rapporteur.