Interim Charge: Factors That Have Contributed to the Rising Costs of Higher Education

Andrew Gillen, Ph.D., is a senior policy analyst in the Next Generation Texas campaign and an adjunct professor of economics at Johns Hopkins University. Dr. Gillen’s recent work has focused on how to reform federal financial aid, how state disinvestment is a myth, and how post-college earnings and debt should be used to inform student choice and government accountability.

Prior to joining the Foundation, Dr. Gillen spent over a decade at nonprofit and philanthropic organizations researching and trying to improve higher education. He was a program officer for the Charles Koch Foundation and served in research roles for American Institutes for Research, Education Sector; the American Council of Trustees and Alumni; and the Center for College Affordability and Productivity. He was also on the U.S. Department of Education’s Advisory Committee on Student Financial Assistance.

Andrew has a Ph.D. in economics from Florida State University and a B.B.A. (business) degree from Ohio University.

Erin Davis Valdez is an education policy director at the Texas Public Policy Foundation. She has been passionate about the transformational power of education all her life, having been given the gift of being homeschooled. She taught for over a decade in Austin-area schools and served as an assistant principal at a charter school in Lewisville. These experiences have given her the opportunity to see first-hand how students can thrive when they have excellent options.