Catalina Cifuentes is executive director of College and Career Readiness for the Riverside County Office of Education. She is a governor-appointed commissioner and chair for the California Student Aid Commission and Cradle to Career System Governing Board. A passionate educator and fierce advocate, she has demonstrated the power behind effective school counseling, college affordability, and higher education advocacy on behalf of all students. In addition to serving on the PPIC Higher Education Center Advisory Council, she is a member of various local, regional, state, and national committees. She was the recipient of the Visionary Award from the California College Guidance Initiative; the Western Association for College Admission Counseling 2018 Joseph P. Allen Human Relations Award; the 2018 Inclusion, Access, and Success Award from the National Association of College Admission Counseling; and the 2019 Riverside County Office of Education Certificated Administrator of the Year. As a first-generation college graduate, she strives to show the impact that can be made when educators have high expectations for all students and when students pursue their post-secondary dreams regardless of the odds against them.

Daisy Gonzales serves as executive director of the California Student Aid Commission (CSAC), the largest state financial aid system in the United States. She is responsible for administering over $3.5 billion in financial aid programs for students attending public and private universities, colleges, and vocational schools in California. She has dedicated her career to making higher education accessible to all Californians. Most recently, she served as the second-highest administrator for California’s 116 community colleges, where she administered $13 billion in funds. As interim chancellor, she supported colleges to innovate during the COVID-19 pandemic by leading efforts to secure historic levels of state and federal funding and redesigning policies to remove barriers to equitable success. She is a member of the Public Policy Institute of California Higher Education Center Advisory Council. She is a first-generation college student and a proud alumna of California’s Community Colleges. She holds a BA in public policy from Mills College, and an MA and PhD in sociology from University of California, Santa Barbara.

Olga Rodriguez is director of the PPIC Higher Education Center and a senior fellow at the Public Policy Institute of California, where she holds the Thomas and Marilyn Sutton Chair in Higher Education Policy. As center director, she works with a team of researchers to identify programs and policies to help make the state’s higher education system more successful, equitable, and sustainable. Her own research focuses on college access and success among underserved students. Her recent work has examined statewide reforms to developmental education, English as a second language, dual enrollment, and assessment and placement systems in California’s community colleges. Before joining PPIC, she was a postdoctoral research associate at the Community College Research Center at Teachers College, Columbia University. She holds a BA in economics/mathematics and Spanish from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and an MA and PhD in economics and education from Columbia University.

Kristen Soares is the fourth president of the Association of Independent California Colleges and Universities (AICCU), representing more than 80 independent, nonprofit institutions committed to the public good. As president, she serves as the chief spokesperson for the sector, working in close partnership with campus leaders and policymakers to shape state and federal higher education policy that expands access, advances affordability, and strengthens student success. Under her leadership, AICCU has advanced forward-looking policy initiatives, including a landmark agreement with the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office to implement the Associate Degree for Transfer pathway within the independent sector to expand and streamline transfer opportunities for community college students. She brings over 35 years of experience in higher education administration and public policy, including senior leadership roles at the University of Southern California. She holds a bachelor’s degree in public administration from the University of Southern California.