Our Experts and Leaders

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Our leaders are experts in all areas of higher education, come from diverse backgrounds, and have a wide range of experience. Their leadership will help guide the American Council on Education (ACE) and American higher education into the future.

​Interviews with ACE's leaders or additional information about the organization's policy positions, programs, and staff can be obtained by contacting ACE's Office of Public Affairs.

Ted Mitchell
President
​​Former college president and top federal policymaker Ted Mitchell became president of the American Council on Education (ACE) on September 1, 2017.  Mitchell brings a wide array of experience and accomplishments from across the higher ...
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Ted Mitchell - President -
Ted Mitchell
President
Derrick Anderson
Senior Vice President
Education Futures
Derrick Anderson is the senior vice president of Education Futures, a division he helped create for ACE in 2022. Education Futures operates ACE’s research, programs, communities, and innovation activities while interacting with more than 900 universiti...
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Derrick Anderson - Senior Vice President -
Derrick Anderson
Senior Vice President
Education Futures
Nick Anderson
Vice President for Higher Education Partnerships & Improvement
Nick Anderson is vice president for higher education partnerships and improvement. He oversees comprehensive efforts to engage colleges and universities on a broad range of issues through direct outreach to their leaders and other stakeholders. He is a...
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Nick Anderson - Vice President for Higher Education Partnerships & Improvement -
Nick Anderson
Vice President for Higher Education Partnerships & Improvement
Zenitta Anderson
Senior Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer
Operations and Administration
Zenitta Anderson is the senior vice president and chief administrative officer at ACE, leading its operations and administration division. With over 20 years of experience in business operations, Anderson possesses exceptional foresight and a proven ab...
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Zenitta Anderson - Senior Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer -
Zenitta Anderson
Senior Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer
Operations and Administration
Steven Bloom
Assistant Vice President
Government Relations
​​Steven M. Bloom came to ACE from the Independent Sector, where he served as senior lobbyist and director of government relations. As assistant vice president of Government Relations​​ at ACE, Bloom’s primary focus is on tax issues, hea...
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Steven Bloom - Assistant Vice President -
Steven Bloom
Assistant Vice President
Government Relations
Jessie Brown
Senior Vice President and Chief of Staff
​​​​Jessie Brown serves as senior vice president and chief of staff at ACE, where she leads strategic initiatives across the Council. She oversees the Office of the President, as well as the departments of Membership, Communications and Marketing, and ...
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Jessie Brown - Senior Vice President and Chief of Staff -
Jessie Brown
Senior Vice President and Chief of Staff
Gailda Pitre Davis
Vice President and Executive Director
ACE Connect
​Gailda Pitre Davis serves as vice president and executive director for ACE Connect. In this capacity, she leads ACE’s community engagement strategy with a focus on collective impact to transform higher education. Through ACE Connect, Davis helps commu...
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Gailda Pitre Davis - Vice President and Executive Director -
Gailda Pitre Davis
Vice President and Executive Director
ACE Connect
Jon Fansmith
Senior Vice President
Government Relations and National Engagement
Jonathan Fansmith directs ACE’s comprehensive efforts to engage federal policymakers on a broad range of issues including student aid, government regulation, scientific research, and tax policy. His work involves representation before the U.S. Congress...
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Jon Fansmith - Senior Vice President -
Jon Fansmith
Senior Vice President
Government Relations and National Engagement
Emmanual Guillory
Senior Director
Government Relations
Emmanual A. Guillory is an advocate, policy expert, and motivational speaker who currently serves as the senior director of government relations at the American Council on Education (ACE). In this role, he manages an extensive portfolio of legislative ...
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Emmanual Guillory - Senior Director -
Emmanual Guillory
Senior Director
Government Relations
Mushtaq Gunja
Executive Director, Carnegie Classification Systems and Senior Vice President
Mushtaq Gunja serves as executive director of the Carnegie Classification systems and senior vice president at ACE, where he is in charge of running and reimagining the Carnegie framework. Prior to joining ACE, Gunja served as assistant dean in academi...
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Mushtaq Gunja - Executive Director, Carnegie Classification Systems and Senior Vice President -
Mushtaq Gunja
Executive Director, Carnegie Classification Systems and Senior Vice President
Janice Lambert
Vice President of Finance
Chief Financial Officer
Janice Lambert is the chief financial officer (CFO) at the American Council on Education (ACE) and leads the organization’s financial strategies and functions, including accounting, audit, treasury, and corporate finance activities. Her career spans mo...
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Janice Lambert - Vice President of Finance -
Janice Lambert
Vice President of Finance
Chief Financial Officer
Peter McDonough
Vice President and General Counsel
Office of the General Counsel
​​Peter McDonough joined ACE in January 2015. He focuses on a wide range of higher education legal issues, including student and faculty affairs, athletics, campus safety and security, intellectual property, compliance and institutional governance. McD...
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Peter McDonough - Vice President and General Counsel -
Peter McDonough
Vice President and General Counsel
Office of the General Counsel
Jesse O'Connell
Chief Advancement Officer
​Jesse O’Connell directs the strategy development and implementation of ACE’s mission-driven relationships with external partner organizations, including the Council’s fundraising and revenue generating efforts to sustain the programs, products, and se...
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Jesse O'Connell - Chief Advancement Officer -
Jesse O'Connell
Chief Advancement Officer
Hironao Okahana
Vice President and Executive Director
Education Futures Lab
​Hironao Okahana is a mission-driven professional thriving to help higher education meet its full potential as a public good and vehicle for social change and equity. He thinks deeply and innovatively, connects ideas and people, and offers insights and...
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Hironao Okahana - Vice President and Executive Director -
Hironao Okahana
Vice President and Executive Director
Education Futures Lab
Monica Pemberton
Vice President and Chief Information Officer
Information Technology Services
Monica Pemberton is a highly accomplished professional serving as the Vice President and Chief Information Officer (CIO) at the American Council on Education (ACE). In her role, she holds responsibility for defining ACE's strategic direction in technol...
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Monica Pemberton - Vice President and Chief Information Officer -
Monica Pemberton
Vice President and Chief Information Officer
Information Technology Services
Michele Spires
Assistant Vice President, National Service and Defense Solutions
Michele Spires is a highly accomplished and dedicated leader in higher education who specializes in credit for prior learning (CPL), program quality assurance, learner success, and institutional policy advancement. With nearly three decades of experien...
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Michele Spires - Assistant Vice President, National Service and Defense Solutions -
Michele Spires
Assistant Vice President, National Service and Defense Solutions
Sarah Spreitzer
Vice President and Chief of Staff
Government Relations
​​​Sarah Spreitzer represents ACE and its members on matters related to research policy and funding, federal policy, international students, immigration, and legislative issues.  Before joining ACE, Spreitzer held senior positions in higher e...
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Sarah Spreitzer - Vice President and Chief of Staff -
Sarah Spreitzer
Vice President and Chief of Staff
Government Relations
Heidi Tseu
Assistant Vice President
National Engagement
​Heidi Tseu is a higher education and government relations professional with experience executing public policy strategies and community engagement initiatives. She comes to ACE from Georgetown University, where she was the associate vice president for...
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Heidi Tseu - Assistant Vice President -
Heidi Tseu
Assistant Vice President
National Engagement
Terry W. Hartle
Senior Fellow
Terry W. Hartle has been one of America’s most effective and experienced advocates for higher education for over 25 years. As senior vice president of ACE’s Government Relations and Public Affairs division from 1993 to 2023, Hartle directed comprehensi...
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Terry W. Hartle - Senior Fellow -
Terry W. Hartle
Senior Fellow
Sarah Zogby
Assistant Vice President
Communications and Marketing
​Sarah Zogby serves as assistant vice president of marketing and communications at the American Council on Education (ACE), where she leads the operations of the Digital Strategy and Marketing, Creative Content, and Internal Communications departments....
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Sarah Zogby - Assistant Vice President -
Sarah Zogby
Assistant Vice President
Communications and Marketing