MBAE is pleased to announce that James Mikolowsky has joined us as our new Director of Policy. James comes to us with diverse experience in federal and state education policy and government. Most recently, James served as Director of Higher Education at The Hunt Institute in North Carolina where he partnered with a wide variety of stakeholders across the country to develop education policy strategies that are focused on equity and supported by evidence.

Previously, James worked at the Washington, D.C.-based Data Quality Campaign, a leading national voice on education data policy and use, where he advocated for improvements to federal education data policies and highlighted the importance of student data privacy and security.

Before that, James was a Legislative Aide for United States Senator Richard Blumenthal from Connecticut where he helped student veterans get a high-quality postsecondary education, ensured that student borrowers had access to reasonable repayment options, and established protections around the use of student data.

As the need for a postsecondary credential to secure a good job that offers opportunity for upward economic mobility continues to escalate, traditional barriers between high school and college must be removed to provide ALL students pathways to opportunity. James’s experience will support MBAE’s growing focus on breaking down those barriers and continuing all of the work that we do to ensure equity, opportunity, and improved outcomes at all levels of our education system.