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.