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Our Experts and Leaders

Our leaders are experts in all areas of higher education, come from diverse backgrounds, and have a wide range of experience. Their leadership will help guide the American Council on Education (ACE) and American higher education into the future.

Interviews with ACE's leaders or additional information about the organization's policy positions, programs, and staff can be obtained by contacting ACE's Office of Public Affairs.

Former college president and top federal policymaker Ted Mitchell became president of the American Council on Education (ACE) on September 1, 2017. Mitchell brings a wide array of experience and accomplishments from across the higher ...

Ted Mitchell - President -

Ted Mitchell

President

Executive Director of Strategic Communications

Office of the President

Nick Anderson is the executive director of strategic communications. He oversees comprehensive efforts to engage colleges and universities on a broad range of issues through direct outreach to their leaders and other stakeholders. He is also responsi...

Nick Anderson - Executive Director of Strategic Communications -

Nick Anderson

Executive Director of Strategic Communications

Office of the President

Zenitta Anderson

Senior Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer

Operations and Administration

Zenitta Anderson is the senior vice president and chief administrative officer at ACE, leading its operations and administration division. With over 20 years of experience in business operations, Anderson possesses exceptional foresight and a proven ab...

Zenitta Anderson - Senior Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer -

Zenitta Anderson

Senior Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer

Operations and Administration

Assistant Vice President

Government Relations

Steven M. Bloom came to ACE from the Independent Sector, where he served as senior lobbyist and director of government relations. As assistant vice president of Government Relations at ACE, Bloom’s primary focus is on tax issues, h...

Steven Bloom - Assistant Vice President -

Steven Bloom

Assistant Vice President

Government Relations

Executive Vice President

Office of the President

Jessie Brown serves as the executive vice president at ACE, where she leads strategic initiatives across the Council. She oversees the Office of the President, as well as the departments of Membership, Communications and Marketing, and Public Affa...

Jessie Brown - Executive Vice President -

Jessie Brown

Executive Vice President

Office of the President

Sarah Cunningham

Executive Director

One Dupont Ventures

Sarah Cunningham brings a deep commitment to access, learner success, and innovation to her role as executive director of One Dupont Ventures at the American Council on Education (ACE). Since joining ACE in 2018, she has led initiatives that bridge th...

Sarah Cunningham - Executive Director -

Sarah Cunningham

Executive Director

One Dupont Ventures

Gailda Pitre Davis

Executive Director of ACE Connect

Gailda Pitre Davis serves as the executive director of ACE Connect. In this capacity, she leads ACE’s community engagement strategy with a focus on collective impact to transform higher education. Through ACE Connect, Davis helps communities to con...

Gailda Pitre Davis - Executive Director of ACE Connect -

Gailda Pitre Davis

Executive Director of ACE Connect

ACE Connect

Senior Vice President

Government Relations and National Engagement

Jonathan Fansmith is the senior vice president for Government Relations and National Engagement at the American Council on Education (ACE), where he leads federal advocacy efforts on behalf of the nation's colleges and universities. He oversees ACE's e...

Jon Fansmith - Senior Vice President -

Jon Fansmith

Senior Vice President

Government Relations and National Engagement

Emmanual Guillory

Senior Director

Government Relations

Emmanual A. Guillory is an advocate, policy expert, and motivational speaker who currently serves as the Senior Director of Government Relations at the American Council on Education (ACE). In this role, he manages an extensive portfolio of legislative ...

Emmanual Guillory - Senior Director -

Emmanual Guillory

Senior Director

Government Relations

Executive Director, Carnegie Classification Systems and Senior Vice President

Mushtaq Gunja serves as executive director of the Carnegie Classification systems and senior vice president at ACE, where he is in charge of running and reimagining the Carnegie framework. Prior to joining ACE, Gunja served as assistant dean in academi...

Mushtaq Gunja - Executive Director, Carnegie Classification Systems and Senior Vice President -

Mushtaq Gunja

Executive Director, Carnegie Classification Systems and Senior Vice President

Vice President of Finance

Chief Financial Officer

Janice Lambert is the chief financial officer (CFO) at the American Council on Education (ACE) and leads the organization’s financial strategies and functions, including accounting, audit, treasury, and corporate finance activities. Her career spans mo...

Janice Lambert - Vice President of Finance -

Janice Lambert

Vice President of Finance

Chief Financial Officer

Peter McDonough

Vice President and General Counsel

Office of the General Counsel

Peter McDonough joined ACE in January 2015. He focuses on a wide range of higher education legal issues, including student and faculty affairs, athletics, campus safety and security, intellectual property, compliance and institutional governance. McD...

Peter McDonough - Vice President and General Counsel -

Peter McDonough

Vice President and General Counsel

Office of the General Counsel

Jesse O'Connell

Chief Advancement Officer

Jesse O’Connell directs the strategy development and implementation of ACE’s mission-driven relationships with external partner organizations, including the Council’s fundraising and revenue generating efforts to sustain the programs, products, and se...

Jesse O'Connell - Chief Advancement Officer -

Jesse O'Connell

Chief Advancement Officer

Advancement

Hironao Okahana

Managing Researcher & Chief of Planning and Impact

Education Futures Lab

Hironao Okahana is a mission-driven professional who thrives on working to help the postsecondary sector meet its full potential as a public good and a vehicle for social change and equity. He thinks deeply and innovatively, connects ideas and people,...

Hironao Okahana - Managing Researcher & Chief of Planning and Impact -

Hironao Okahana

Managing Researcher & Chief of Planning and Impact

Education Futures Lab

Monica Pemberton

Vice President and Chief Information Officer

Information Technology Services

Monica Pemberton is a highly accomplished professional serving as the Vice President and Chief Information Officer (CIO) at the American Council on Education (ACE). In her role, she holds responsibility for defining ACE's strategic direction in technol...

Monica Pemberton - Vice President and Chief Information Officer -

Monica Pemberton

Vice President and Chief Information Officer

Information Technology Services

Jon Riskind

Executive Director of Public Affairs and Policy Communications

Public Affairs

Jon Riskind - Executive Director of Public Affairs and Policy Communications -

Jon Riskind

Executive Director of Public Affairs and Policy Communications

Public Affairs

Assistant Vice President of One Dupont Ventures, National Service and Defense Solutions

One Dupont Ventures/LE

Michele Spires is a highly accomplished and dedicated leader in higher education who specializes in credit for prior learning (CPL), program quality assurance, learner success, and institutional policy advancement. With nearly three decades of experien...

Michele Spires - Assistant Vice President of One Dupont Ventures, National Service and Defense Solutions -

Michele Spires

Assistant Vice President of One Dupont Ventures, National Service and Defense Solutions

One Dupont Ventures/LE

Sarah Spreitzer

Vice President and Chief of Staff

Government Relations

Sarah Spreitzer represents ACE and its members on matters related to research policy and funding, federal policy, international students, immigration, and legislative issues. Before joining ACE, Spreitzer held senior positions in higher e...

Sarah Spreitzer - Vice President and Chief of Staff -

Sarah Spreitzer

Vice President and Chief of Staff

Government Relations

Government Relations

Lindsey Tepe represents the American Council on Education (ACE) and its members on legislative and regulatory matters related to military learners, the workforce, campus safety, and other civil rights issues. Before joining ACE, Tepe worked at the inte...

Lindsey Tepe - Director -

Lindsey Tepe

Director

Government Relations

Assistant Vice President

National Engagement

Heidi Tseu is a higher education and government relations professional with experience executing public policy strategies and community engagement initiatives. She comes to ACE from Georgetown University, where she was the associate vice president for...

Heidi Tseu - Assistant Vice President -

Heidi Tseu

Assistant Vice President

National Engagement

Vice President of Communications

Creative Content

Sarah Zogby serves as vice president of communications at the American Council on Education (ACE), where she leads the operations of the Digital Strategy and Marketing, Creative Content, and Internal Communications departments. Zogby is r...

Sarah Zogby - Vice President of Communications -

Sarah Zogby

Vice President of Communications

Creative Content

Terry W. Hartle

Terry W. Hartle has been one of America’s most effective and experienced advocates for higher education for over 25 years. As senior vice president of ACE’s Government Relations and Public Affairs division from 1993 to 2023, Hartle directed comprehensi...

Terry W. Hartle - Senior Fellow -

Terry W. Hartle

Senior Fellow