Alejandra (Ale) Acosta Email & Phone Number

California, United States

San Francisco Bay Area

• Leading the knowledge sector vertical that encompasses K12 through corporate learning by developing strategies that increase profile, rapport, and revenue.
• Establishing relationships in the higher education world via strategic partnership development, lead-generation campaigns, and leveraging existing network.
• Advising on product development by analyzing data and recommending new asset-based approaches to our model, all through an equity and practitioner lens.
• Presenting on product via national conferences, sales calls, and company webinars.
• Developing workflow for nudging component of product, writing nudges for customers, and providing guidance for customers writing their own nudges.

Advised students on their college application process from planning through execution

San Francisco Bay Area

• Met with California legislative staff to identify workforce and higher education issues that need legislative action, support, or advocacy.
• Managed a research project on California higher education’s challenges engaging industry in training and degree programs and identifying potential solutions.

Washington D.C. Metro Area

• Turned a complex, ambiguous COVID-19 response project into an actionable one by identifying objectives, team strengths and community needs and creating a project structure, timeline, external advisory board, and.
• Enabled over 12 team members to conduct nearly 100 interviews with colleges to make real-time recommendations for higher education’s response to the pandemic through dozens of blogs, several reports, and policy.
• Monitored the national higher education landscape, identified policy opportunities and areas for improvement, and conducted research or made recommendations for policymakers, college leaders, and researchers.
• Co-led team’s hiring for first remote intern: recommended prioritizing non-D.C based applicants to increase diversity in policy pipeline. Supervised team’s first remote intern for nine months, guided her through.
• Published reports, op-eds, and blog posts on various topics, including predictive analytics, public opinion on higher education, federal policy and accreditation. Pieces have been published on Inside Higher Ed and The.

Washington D.C. Metro Area

• Researched opportunities for investment in collaborative projects between colleges and Opportunity Zones (areas identified for economic development).
• Developed recommendations on how to engage students in federal higher education philanthropic efforts by conducting student and advocate interviews.
• Prepared memos on federal higher education policy events to inform team of current affairs in the field, allowing them to make more strategic investments, such as Negotiated Rulemaking, Lumina Quality Assurance Task.

Ann Arbor, Michigan

• Contributed thought leadership to the development of a strategic plan for the grant and greater research-action project and grant proposals, with particular emphasis on connecting research-advocacy efforts with.
• Translated research findings into relevant and practical presentation presented to college admissions and financial aid counselors, high school counselors and advisers, and other stakeholders working with undocumented.
• Managed research portion of grant by charting organizational deliverables and developing a timeline, research protocols and methods, and rationalization of research project for presentation to The National Forum.
• Collected, coded, and analyzed data on admission, tuition, and financial aid policies that affect undocumented students at Michigan public colleges and universities.
• Contributing to forthcoming policy analysis and case study reports on efforts to implement institutional policy change across MI public colleges and universities.

Troy, Michigan

• Co-led the project management of a Request for Concept Papers (RFCP) on multi-sectoral solutions to transit barriers to postsecondary success, including writing RFCP drafts, conceptualizing RFCP goals, and.
• Informed future Education Program investments by briefing the team on College Promise program research and opportunities for further exploration or investment.
• Supported the future potential of cross-team collaborations between the Education and Human Services programs by briefing the Education team on Human Services’ NextGen Initiative and providing recommendations for.
• Screened and recommended proposals for funding, prepared funding documents, participated in introductory, interim report, and final report calls, and supported the management of a portfolio of approximately 150 current.
• Contributed direct service thought partnership for all aforementioned projects.

San Jose, California, United States

• Established Silicon Valley cohort of a national internship program for 23 undocumented youth by creating program structure, curriculum, and 2 yearly events.
• Developed a network committed to increasing undocumented youth access to tech through partnerships with FWD.us, Dreamer’s Roadmap, Center for Employment Training, San Jose City College, and the City of San Jose.
• Partnered with Univision’s UTEC Center to convene stakeholders across tech, education, and public service to raise awareness about immigrant youth access to tech and network for future opportunities.

San Jose, CA

• Advised cohort of 300 low-income, first-generation high school students aspiring togo to college through one-on-one, group, and whole school interactions and events.
• Provided individualized college planning, college application completionassistance, and financial aid support to nearly 100 cohort Seniors.
• Analyzed data on advising interactions and student profiles to inform advisingstrategies and programming implemented at site over two-year period.
• Supported community college bound students by providing application andassessment test prep workshops and coordinating a community college resource fair.
• Supported undocumented student community by establishing and advising first

Master Of Arts - Ma, Higher Education

Bachelor’S Degree, Sociology; Spanish; Chicana/O Studies

Activities and Societies: Improving Dreams Equality Access and Success (IDEAS); UCLA Chorale and Chorus; UCLA Figure Skating Club Team.