2023 In Review

As a Coalition board member and founder and CEO of an ed tech company, I was very familiar with the Coalition and its role in higher ed. But when I stepped in as interim CEO this summer, I gained a new perspective for how special this organization is and the breadth and depth of the work it does in support of college access.

You — our members, partners, and supporters — have truly and deeply inspired me with the hours and sacrifice you’ve committed beyond the scope of your jobs and by generously opening your checkbooks to make sure we have the additional funding we need to be successful.

Thank you.

2023 was a year of change — for our team, as well as for the field of college admissions nationally. Even in the midst of a leadership transition, the Coalition worked to bring our member colleges, as well as thousands of students and their supporters, the tools and education needed to navigate this changing admissions landscape.

With the Supreme Court’s decision to limit the consideration of race in admissions and the changes and delay to this year’s FAFSA, there have been no shortage of questions — from admissions professionals, high school and CBO counselors, and students and families — about the impact these big changes will have and how to navigate them. I’m proud of the ways our small team has brought together the expertise needed to help answer these questions for all of these audiences — at conferences, through webinars, in meetings and over social media.

What I’ve seen in my time leading the organization is the power the Coalition has to bring together so many stakeholders to learn from each other and work together to support students, especially those underrepresented in higher education. Through our partnership with Scoir, this year, we were able to bring community-based organizations into the same space where students, counselors, colleges and universities, and parents and guardians are collaborating on the college search and application process. It’s an ongoing part of our work to break down barriers to higher education and one that’s paving the way for even more partnerships and support in the coming year.

As the search for the Coalition’s next CEO continues and my service as interim CEO wraps up, I want to thank everyone who has joined our work this year and made it possible — and also thank Stacey Kostell for her excellent leadership over the past 3+ years. I'm very much looking forward to taking all that I've learned about the Coalition with me in my next professional steps, and continuing to grow the list of people and organizations working with us.

Please read on for a look back at what we accomplished together!