Title: Senior Director of Policy Research, The Campaign for College Opportunity
Education: B.A., government, Dartmouth College; M.S., teaching, Pace University; Ph.D., education policy, Teachers College, Columbia University
Age: 38
Mentors: Dr. Linda Fowler, Dartmouth College; Dr. Douglas Ready, Teachers College, Columbia University; Dr. Susan Fuhrman, Teachers College, Columbia University; Dr. Ester Fuchs, Columbia University; the late David Dinkins, former mayor of New York City.
Words of encouragement/wisdom: “Academia doesn’t always reward the simpler writing. But more descriptive pieces that are carefully done are powerful in the policy and advocacy world. Another piece of advice: treat your writing more like a dragon to be slayed than your baby or pet project. That makes it easier to take feedback in stride to create a tighter product.”
When Dr. Vikash Reddy moved to California a er earning his doctorate in education policy at Teachers College, Columbia University, he first heard about “this thing called ADT,” or associate degree for transfer, across the state. He didn’t know how ADT exactly worked, only that eligible California students could transfer to a college for a four-year degree a er earning a two-year associate degree. But he soon saw that this transfer process could be a maze for many.
