​Sarah Cunningham brings a deep commitment to access, learner success, and innovation to her role as executive director of One Dupont Ventures at the American Council on Education (ACE). Since joining ACE in 2018, she has led initiatives that bridge the gap between education and workforce needs; developed modular, learner-centric digital credentials; and advanced strategies that expand access to higher education through credit for prior learning. With more than two decades of experience in higher education and student success, Cunningham provides strategic leadership across product development, technology operations, and market alignment to help ACE meet the evolving needs of learners, institutions, and employers.

Her background includes serving as the chief student success officer and a faculty member at Unity College, where she oversaw academic support and student affairs services. She holds a PhD in integrative biology from the University of California, Berkeley, where she conducted behavioral ecology research on hyenas and woodrats that is sometimes oddly applicable in her work today. Cunningham is passionate about designing systems that promote upward mobility and future-ready learning, and she continues to drive national thought leadership on digital credentialing and learning and employment records (LERs).