The educators, researchers, practitioners, and advocates who comprise the knowledge development steering committee contribute to a statewide research agenda aimed to improve community college practice and to inform policy benefiting colleges’ pathways reform strategies. These esteemed partners advise the overall knowledge development strategy. The Texas Success Center directs and implements the strategy while providing opportunity for committee members to contribute to or collaborate on commissioned new knowledge development activities.
Members
Estela Mara Bensimon, Ed.D.
Professor, Higher Education, Rossier School of Education, University of Southern California
Director, Center for Urban Education
BioProfessor of Higher Education at the University of Southern California Rossier School of Education, Dr. Estela Mara Bensimon founded and directs the Center for Urban Education. With a singular focus on increasing racial equity in higher education outcomes for students of color, she developed the Equity Scorecard to use inquiry to drive changes in institutional practice and culture. Dr. Bensimon’s critical action research agenda has been supported by grants from the Ford Foundation, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Lumina Foundation, Teagle Foundation, The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, and the James Irvine Foundation.
In addition to publishing numerous articles about equity, organizational learning, and practitioner inquiry and change, Dr. Bensimon has contributed to books including Critical Approaches to the Study of Higher Education, recognized as the 2016 Outstanding Publication by the American Education Research Association, Division of Postsecondary Education; Engaging the Race Question: Accountability and Equity in US Higher Education; and Confronting Equity Issues on Campus: Implementing the Equity Scorecard in Theory and Practice.
Dr. Bensimon earned an Ed.D. from Teachers College, Columbia University.
Jenna Cullinane-Hege, Ph.D.
Deputy Assistant Commissioner, Strategic Planning, Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board
BioAs Deputy Assistant Commissioner for Strategic Planning at the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, Dr. Jenna Cullinane Hege and her team leverage the state's data resources to inform higher education policy and improve student success and educational equity in Texas. In this position, she provides leadership related to the state's 60x30TX strategic plan, including the roll out of regional targets.
Dr. Cullinane Hege is also an assistant professor of practice in the Department of Education Leadership and Policy at The University of Texas at Austin. Before joining the staff of the THECB, she was strategic policy lead for higher education at The Charles A. Dana Center at The University of Texas at Austin, where she worked on policy, evaluation, and scaling of accelerated approaches to developmental and entry-level college education.
Dr. Cullinane Hege earned a Ph.D. in Public Policy and a Master of Public Affairs from the LBJ School of Public Affairs at The University of Texas at Austin. She completed a Bachelor of Arts degree in Legal Studies and Education at the University of California, Berkeley.
Lindsay Daugherty, Ph.D.
Senior Policy Researcher, RAND Corporation
BioSenior Policy Researcher at the RAND Corporation, Dr. Lindsay Daugherty’s research focuses on policies and programs that aim to improve success in postsecondary education and employment. In this role, she has studied developmental education reforms, adult education programs, advising and support programs that connect students to wraparound supports, stackable credential pathways, and veteran education and employment programs.
Since 2013, Dr. Daugherty has collaborated with the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board and community college districts across Texas to evaluate and support the implementation of Texas Success Initiative policies and other statewide programs. She is strongly committed to building connections between policymakers, practitioners and researchers to identify evidence-based solutions to postsecondary issues.
Dr. Daugherty earned a B.A. in Economics from the University of California, Berkeley, an M.A. in Applied Economics from the University of Michigan, and a Ph.D. in Policy Analysis from the Pardee RAND Graduate School.
Kelty Garbee, Ph.D.
Director, Programs, Educate Texas
BioDirector of Programs at Educate Texas, Dr. Kelty Garbee focuses on higher education, particularly dual credit, education-workforce partnerships, and rural education. In this role, she led the Texas Regional STEM Degree Accelerator initiative, which provided grants for regional teams of K-12, higher education, and workforce partners to align STEM degree programs with regional workforce needs.
As the first early college high school program manager at the Texas Education Agency (TEA), Dr. Garbee developed expertise in dual credit and P-16 partnerships and created a designation process that allows school districts and colleges to join the statewide network of early college high schools. Previously, she worked in the Development Office at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC.
Dr. Garbee earned a Ph.D. from The University of Texas at Austin College of Education and a master's degree from the LBJ School of Public Affairs. She received a baccalaureate degree in English and Studies in Women and Gender from the University of Virginia.
Linda García, Ph.D.
Executive Director, Center for Community College Student Engagement
BioAs Executive Director at the Center for Community College Student Engagement, Linda oversees the Center's research and outreach.
Linda previously served as the assistant director of college relations at CCCSE and the vice president of community college relations at the Roueche Graduate Center at National American University. She has also worked at Lone Star College, Maricopa Community Colleges, Texas Southmost College, and the University of Texas at Brownsville. Linda’s experience includes student development, instructional support, and teaching. As coach for the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) Pathways 2.0, Linda supports colleges that are committed to transformational work at scale to improve college completion and equity in student outcomes. She serves on the board of the National Council on Student Development, an affiliate council of AACC.
Linda earned a Ph.D. in Higher Education Administration with a specialization in Community College Leadership from the University of Texas at Austin.
George González, M.S.
Director, Institutional Research and Effectiveness, San Jacinto College
BioDirector of Institutional Research and Effectiveness at San Jacinto College in Pasadena, Texas, Mr. George González is a past-president of the Gulf Coast Association of Institutional Research (GCAIR). A long-time member of the Association for Institutional Research (AIR) and the Texas Association for Institutional Research (TAIR), Mr. González and has also served as a board member of the Pasadena Chamber of Commerce.
With 16 years of experience in higher education institutional research working as both an analyst and a director, Mr. González’ entire professional career has involved data analysis and statistical modeling. His most recent work has involved predictive modeling and analytics to identify at-risk students at the beginning of their college tenures in order to facilitate potential interventions that lead to student success.
During his four years of working in the private sector, Mr. González was a forecast modeling business analyst and created models to identify potential growth sectors in the electricity and natural gas industries.
He earned a baccalaureate degree in statistics from Rice University and a Master of Science degree in statistics from the University of Texas at San Antonio.
Davis Jenkins, Ph.D.
Senior Research Scholar, Community College Research Center, Teachers College, Columbia University
BioSenior Research Scholar at the Community College Research Center at Columbia University’s Teachers College, Davis Jenkins works with colleges and states across the country to find ways to improve educational and employment outcomes for students, particularly students of color and those from low-income families.
Together with Thomas Bailey and Shanna Jaggars, he co-authored Redesigning America’s Community Colleges: A Clearer Path to Student Success (Harvard University Press, 2015), which has helped to catalyze the national guided pathways reform movement. Recently, Dr. Jenkins collaborated with the Aspen Institute to research transfer outcomes and create The Transfer Playbook.
Dr. Jenkins currently leads research involving 120 colleges nationally on the implementation of pathways reforms and their effects on student outcomes, equity, costs, and college performance. Additionally, he is leading research on improving baccalaureate degree outcomes and strengthening high school dual enrollment as an on-ramp to college for underrepresented students. Dr. Jenkins earned a baccalaureate degree in religion from Princeton University and a Ph.D. in public policy analysis from Carnegie Mellon University.
Heather Justice, M.Ed.
Division Director, College, Career, and Military Preparation, Texas Education Agency
BioDivision Director for College, Career and Military Preparation within the Texas Education Agency, Ms. Heather Justice oversees career and technical education, work-based learning, industry certifications, and college and career readiness school models such as early college high schools, Pathways in Technology Early College High Schools, Industry Cluster Innovative Academies, and Texas STEM Academies.
Prior to joining the TEA, Ms. Justice served as executive director of career and technical education for the Tennessee Department of Education. She managed the comprehensive reform of career and technical education programs of study, instituted data sharing agreements to obtain industry certification data, overhauled licensing of CTE educators, and established a statewide professional development model for CTE educators. Ms. Justice taught high school accounting and marketing and served as a public relations and campaign finance consultant.
She began her career in business and hospitality administration managing restaurants and hotels in Florida and Tennessee, focusing on staff development. Ms. Justice holds a baccalaureate degree in business administration from Florida State University and a master’s degree in education from the University of Phoenix.
Kasey Klepfer, MPAff
Senior Research Analyst, Trellis Research
BioA native central Texan, Kasey Klepfer is dedicated to increasing the educational opportunities and attainment of traditionally underserved populations through data-driven policies and best practices. As Senior Research Analyst for Trellis Research, Mr. Klepfer is the project lead for Trellis’ Student Financial Wellness Survey, a project designed to provide insight into the financial challenges facing students in higher education and how those challenges relate to academic success. On behalf of the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, Mr. Klepfer led an evaluation of a state pilot program that sought to reduce student loan defaults and improve financial literacy among college students in Texas.
He earned a master’s degree in Public Affairs from the LBJ School at the University of Texas at Austin.
Kay McClenney, Ph.D.
Senior Advisor to the President and CEO, American Association of Community Colleges
Consultant and Partner, Mc2 Consultants
BioSpecial advisor to the president of the American Association of Community Colleges, Dr. Kay McClenney also serves as Senior Associate for the Center for Community College Student Engagement (CCCSE) at the University of Texas at Austin. Founding director of CCCSE, Dr. McClenney also taught in the program in Higher Education Leadership and served as senior consultant on the national Achieving the Dream initiative. Dr. McClenney co-directed Student Success BY THE NUMBERS, the California Leadership Alliance for Student Success, and the national Bridges to Opportunity initiative.
For over 10 years, Dr. McClenney served as vice president and chief operating officer of the Education Commission of the States. She has consulted with education institutions, state higher education systems, state government, and professional associations in 47 states and internationally. Furthermore, she served as a community college faculty member, program director, system administrator, and interim CEO. A frequent keynote speaker, Dr. McClenney has authored numerous publications on education issues, strategic planning, accountability, student success, and leadership, and has been recognized with numerous honors, including the 2011 National Leadership Award from the American Association of Community Colleges.
She earned a Ph.D. in Educational Administration from the Community College Leadership Program at The University of Texas at Austin.
Tia Brown McNair, Ed.D.
Vice President, Office of Diversity, Equity, and Student Success, Association of American Colleges and Universities
BioVice President in the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Student Success at the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) in Washington, D.C., Dr. Tia Brown McNair oversees funded projects as well as AAC&U’s continuing programs. These programs focus on equity, inclusive excellence, high-impact educational practices, and student success, and include AAC&U’s Network for Academic Renewal series of yearly working conferences and the Summer Institute on High-Impact Educational Practices and Student Success.
Project director for several AAC&U initiatives, Dr. McNair leads "Truth, Racial Healing and Transformation," “Strengthening Completion Pathways and Career Success by Developing Intentional Learning,” “Committing to Equity and Inclusive Excellence: Campus-Based Strategies for Student Success,” and “Purposeful Pathways: Faculty Planning and Curricular Coherence.” She is the lead author of the book Becoming a Student-Ready College: A New Culture of Leadership for Student Success (July 2016).
Dr. McNair earned a B.A. degree in Political Science and English from James Madison University, an M.A. in English from Radford University, and an Ed.D. in Higher Education Administration from George Washington University.
Emily Miller Payne, Ed.D.
Associate Professor, Developmental and Adult Education, Texas State University
Director, The Education Institute
BioAssociate Professor on graduate faculty in Developmental and Adult Education at Texas State University, Dr. Emily Miller Payne has served as director of The Education Institute, an externally funded grant program, since 2001.
An expert in adult student transition to postsecondary and in developmental literacy, Dr. Payne directs the Reading 1300 program, developing curriculum and supervising instruction of undergraduate literacy classes.
She earned an Ed.D. in Reading Education from New Mexico State University.
Luis Ponjuán, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Higher Education Administration, College of Education and Human Development, Texas A&M University
Research Director, Investing in Diversity, Equity, Access, and Learning
BioAssociate Professor of Higher Education Administration, Dr. Luis Ponjuán is research director of the IDEAL (Investing in Diversity, Equity, Access, and Learning) research project in the Department of Educational Administration and Human Resource Development in the College of Education and Human Development (CEHD) at Texas A&M University.
Co-editor of the book Ensuring the Success of Latino males in Higher Education: A National Imperative and co-author of the American Council on Education national policy brief, “The Texas Education Consortium for male students of color,” Dr. Ponjuán engages in a comprehensive research agenda focused on Latino students, Latino male students, and faculty members of color. This research agenda has been funded by grants from the Greater Texas Foundation, The Trellis Foundation, National Science Foundation, and Texas A&M University.
He earned a Ph.D. in Higher Education from the University of Michigan, master’s degree from the Florida State University, and baccalaureate degree in Psychology from the University of New Orleans. He is a Cuban immigrant, naturalized U.S. citizen, and first-generation college graduate.
Lauren Schudde, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Educational Leadership and Policy, University of Texas at Austin
BioAssistant Professor of Educational Leadership and Policy at The University of Texas at Austin, Dr. Lauren Schudde also serves as a research affiliate of the Community College Research Center at Teachers College, Columbia University. Her research examines the impact of educational policies and practices on college student outcomes and her ongoing projects examine how Texas community college students respond to institutional transfer policies, the influence of developmental education math reform on student outcomes, and labor market returns to different types of postsecondary degrees.
Dr. Schudde earned a Ph.D. and an M.S. in Sociology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison as well as a B.A. in Sociology and Psychology from New York University.
William Serrata, Ph.D.
President, El Paso Community College
BioPresident of El Paso Community College, Dr. William Serrata previously served as vice president for student affairs and enrollment management at South Texas College. During his career, Dr. Serrata has provided enrollment management leadership in fostering enrollment growth as well as increases in student retention, dual credit enrollment, and graduation rates with an emphasis on first-generation and Hispanic populations and establishing a college-going culture. Under Dr. Serrata’s leadership, the Aspen Institute announced El Paso Community College as one of 10 nationwide finalists for the Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence in 2015.
Chair of the board of directors of Excelencia in Education, Dr. Serrata also serves on the board of directors for Catch the Next, and the advisory board of the Higher Education Research and Development Institute and was recently appointed to the executive committee for the board of directors for the American Association of Community Colleges after being elected in 2017.
Dr. Serrata earned a B.A. in English from Texas A&M University-College Station, an M.A. in English from the University of Texas at Brownsville, and a Ph.D. in Educational Human Resource Development from Texas A&M University-College Station.
Uri Treisman, Ph.D.
Founder and Executive Director, Charles A. Dana Center
University Distinguished Teaching Professor, University of Texas at Austin
BioUniversity Distinguished Teaching Professor, Professor of Mathematics, and Professor of Public Affairs at The University of Texas at Austin, Dr. Philip Uri Treisman founded the Charles A. Dana Center, which works to ensure that all students, regardless of their life circumstances, have access to an excellent education.
Distinguished Senior Fellow at the Education Commission of the States since 2013, Dr. Treisman is also chairman of the Strong Start to Finish Campaign, a joint initiative of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, The Kresge Foundation, and Ascendium Education Group that works nationally to ensure all students get a strong start in their first year of college and finish with the skills they need to thrive.
For his research of the factors that support high achievement among minority students in calculus, Dr. Treisman received the 1987 Charles A. Dana Award for Pioneering Achievement in American Higher Education. In 1992, he was named a MacArthur fellow and in 1999, he was named an outstanding leaders in higher education in the 20th century by the magazine Black Issues in Higher Education.
Dr. Treisman earned a B.S. in mathematics from the University of California, Los Angeles and a Ph.D. in mathematics and education from the University of California, Berkeley in 1985.
Mamie Voight, M.P.P.
Vice President, Policy Research, Institute for Higher Education Policy
BioVice President of Policy Research at the Institute for Higher Education Policy (IHEP), Mamie Voight leads IHEP’s projects on affordability, transparency, and postsecondary data policy. Ms. Voight and her team launched and manage the Postsecondary Data Collaborative, which brings organizations together to advocate for the use of high-quality postsecondary data to advance student success and educational equity.
Before joining IHEP, Ms. Voight worked at The Education Trust, where she researched college access, success, and affordability issues and advocated for policies that would enhance equity in America’s higher education system. Prior to entering the field of education policy, she worked as an engineering consultant for departments of transportation in multiple states.
Ms. Voight earned a baccalaureate degree in civil engineering from Villanova University, a master’s degree in civil engineering from the University of Delaware, and a master’s degree in public policy from Georgetown University.
Afi Wiggins, Ph.D.
Director, Program Evaluation and Research, Charles A. Dana Center, University of Texas at Austin
BioAs Director of Program Evaluation and Research at the Charles A. Dana Center, Dr. Afi Wiggins leads the development of comprehensive and coherent strategies for research and evaluation initiatives. In this role, she coordinates internal and external collaborations, manages data from state and national longitudinal databases, and performs quantitative and qualitative analyses.
Previously, as senior research analyst at Texas State University, Dr. Wiggins created and maintained longitudinally linked data sets for use in statistical analyses and developed procedures to validate data integrity. She also collaborated with faculty to develop quantitative research, evaluation, and/or data analyses design and methodology.
At Austin Independent School District, Dr. Wiggins led research, evaluation, and statistical analyses projects in the areas of college readiness, postsecondary enrollment and persistence, and career and technical education. At the University of Virginia, she evaluated a mentoring program that matched middle school girls with women college students. As a research analyst at Piedmont Virginia Community College, Dr. Wiggins developed surveys and analyzed data to assess the effectiveness of educational and administrative programs.
Dr. Wiggins earned a Ph.D. in Research Statistics and Evaluation from the University of Virginia.
Jacklyn Altuna Willard, M.Ed.
Senior Program Officer, Postsecondary Success, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
BioAs Senior Program Officer in the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s Postsecondary Success strategy, Jacklyn Altuna Willard serves as a measurement, learning, and evaluation officer.
Previously, Ms. Willard led large-scale research and evaluation projects for both K12 and postsecondary education for MDRC. She has researched institutional change initiatives and evaluated professional development programs, dual enrollment efforts, and other programs designed to improve outcomes for low-income students and students of color. Before joining MDRC, Ms. Willard served as a policy analyst at Education-Trust West, an evaluator at Berkeley Policy Associates, and an institutional researcher at Cambridge College.
She earned a B.A. in Sociology from the University of California and an M.Ed in Education Policy & Management from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.
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