Boutique Strategic Consulting and Communications Firm Taps Former Capitol Hill Aide Alison Griffin for Deep Experience at the Intersection of Education Policy and Practice
WASHINGTON, DC (September 6, 2017) — Whiteboard Advisors, a social impact agency supporting high-growth companies, grantmakers, and innovative nonprofits, today announced the addition of Alison R. Griffin, as Senior Advisor.
“Alison’s unique understanding of the intersection of education and employment, policy and practice will bring tremendous value to our clients,” said Ben Wallerstein, Founder and CEO of Whiteboard Advisors. “Not many people with Alison’s policy expertise have also operated at such a high level across sectors. Her experience on the implementation side of higher education, and as a grantmaker, is reflected in her practical understanding of how policy shapes outcomes, and her deep sense of mission.”
Griffin’s career in postsecondary education policy includes two terms as a policy advisor to the Chairman of the US House Committee on Education and the Workforce, as well as roles with the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU). Griffin comes to Whiteboard Advisors from Strada Education Network, where she served in a senior leadership role focused on external affairs, government relations, and national engagement activities.
“The solutions to our most pressing education challenges, from affordability to access, require thoughtful collaboration among not just policymakers — but a growing community of impact investors, entrepreneurs, practitioners, and philanthropists experimenting with new ideas and approaches,” said Griffin. “Whiteboard Advisors plays a unique role in that community — bringing people and ideas together to scale solutions that are making an impact.”
Griffin joins the Whiteboard Advisors bipartisan team of senior advisors, which include U.S. News columnist and former White House Domestic Policy Advisor Andrew J. Rotherham, best-selling author and Washington Post columnist Jeff Selingo, former North Carolina Governor Beverly Perdue, former Assistant Secretary at the U. S. Department of Education Peter Cunningham, and former Deputy Secretary at the U.S. Department of Education Gene Hickok.
Griffin is also the co-founder of Radio Higher Ed, a podcast series that informs the public and challenges policymakers about postsecondary education policies, issues, and their implications.