Jennifer Engle Named Vice President for Policy Research at the Institute For Higher Education Policy
Published May 13, 2014
Washington, D.C., Jan. 17, 2013—The Institute for Higher Education Policy (IHEP) welcomes today Jennifer Engle, Ph.D., as its vice president for policy research—a position that focuses on further advancing the organization’s mission of providing policymakers and education leaders with innovative policy- and practice-oriented research to address our nation’s most pressing education challenges. As a senior staff member, Engle oversees IHEP’s growing research portfolio, focusing primarily on underserved student populations, as well as works to cultivate and maintain IHEP’s relationships with policy leaders, researchers, and partnering organizations.
Prior to joining IHEP, Engle was the director of higher education research and policy at the Education Trust (EdTrust), a nonprofit organization that promotes high academic achievement and works to close opportunity gaps for all students at all levels. While at the EdTrust, Engle directed the research agenda of the higher education team, including leading the data collection and reporting related to the Access to Success Initiative, an ambitious effort to advance the equity agenda in colleges and universities in the public realm. Earlier in her in career, Engle was the interim director and senior research analyst at the Pell Institute for the Study of Opportunity in Higher Education (Pell Institute). At the Pell Institute, she was the lead author on several major publications including, Demography is Not Destiny: Increasing the Graduation Rates of Low-Income College Students at Large, Public Universities, Straight From the Source: What Works for First-Generation College Students, and Moving Beyond Access: College Success for Low-Income, First-Generation Students.
In addition, Engle earned her Ph.D. and M.A. in education from American University. She is also widely published and has served on as an expert on technical panels for several organizations, including Complete College America, the National Governor’s Association, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the National Center for Higher Education Management Systems, and the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education.
“We’re pleased to have Jennifer join our team of experts, especially at such a crucial time when postsecondary education-related policies in the United States require much needed attention,” said IHEP President Michelle Asha Cooper, Ph.D. “Jennifer’s strong leadership and expertise can help to enact important changes in the higher education community—seizing the moment to guide decision makers such as students, faculty, institutional leaders, and policymakers.”
Another change to IHEP’s research team—along with Engle's onboarding—includes Alisa Federico Cunningham who is shifting roles from serving as vice president of research to senior associate. After spending nearly 16 years at IHEP, Cunningham will now join the organization’s highly esteemed roster of veteran researchers and thought leaders: Clifford Adelman, Ann Coles, Sandy Baum, Thomas Parker, Patti McGill Peterson, Ronald Phipps, and Thomas Wolanin.
For more information about IHEP, visit the organization’s website at www.ihep.org.
