REGISTER

SPEAKERS

Colleen Flaherty
Senior Editor for Special Content at Inside Higher Ed

Colleen Flaherty, Senior Editor for Special Content, previously served as Student Voice Editor for Inside Higher Ed. Prior to joining the publication in 2012, Colleen was military editor at the Killeen Daily Herald, outside Fort Hood, Texas. Before that, she covered government and land use issues for the Greenwich Time and Hersam Acorn Newspapers in her home state of Connecticut. After graduating from McGill University in Montreal with a degree in English literature, Colleen taught English and English as a second language in public schools in the Bronx, New York. She earned her M.S.Ed. from City University of New York Lehman College as part of the New York City Teaching Fellows program.

Mike Krause
Managing Director at the John M. Belk Endowment

Mike Krause serves as managing director at the John M. Belk Endowment, joining the JMBE team after serving for 15 years in various public policy and higher education leadership roles. Previously, he was the executive director of the Tennessee Higher Education Commission, functioning as the state’s higher education executive officer (SHEEO). In this role, he managed a $2.1 billion budget, coordinated state higher education policies, directed FAFSA completion efforts that resulted in Tennessee leading the nation, and served as the administrator for all state financial aid programs. Most notably, he led his team to design and implement a first of its kind initiative to recruit adult students to enroll in community college. Mike also served as a senior staff member for Governor Bill Haslam and as the founding director of Tennessee Promise, where he led the design and implementation of the nation’s first free community college program. During his time in the Haslam administration, he advised the governor on an array of education and financial aid matters and coordinated the first overhaul of state higher education governance in 50 years. A frequent commentator in the media, his work on college access and financial aid has been covered by Politico, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, NPR and CNN. A proud adult learner, Mike attended college as a non-traditional student after serving on active duty in the United States Army. 

Sara Custer 
Editor in Chief at Inside Higher Ed

Sara Custer became Inside Higher Ed's editor in chief in March 2024. Before joining Inside Higher Ed, she was editor of Times Higher Education's (THE) Campus, a collection of daily resources designed for higher education faculty and staff members to learn, share and connect with colleagues at universities and colleges worldwide. Prior to that, she shaped THE’s online presence as its digital editor, helping to launch THE’s newsletter strategy and overseeing daily, weekly and monthly publications. From 2012 to 2017, she served as editor and senior reporter at The PIE News, covering the international education industry. Sara grew up in Cushing, Okla., and earned a B.A. in English literature from Loyola University Chicago and an M.A. in international journalism from City, University of London.

Ruth Bauer
President of InsideTrack

A proud first-generation college student, Ruth Bauer is president of InsideTrack, the nation’s leading nonprofit student success coaching organization. Ruth has dedicated her career to unlocking human potential working at the intersection of education technology, human capital development and social impact. Ruth brings experience across the spectrum of lifelong learning from early childhood through postsecondary and workforce development. Ruth joined InsideTrack in 2013 as vice president of operations, rising to the role of chief operating officer before taking over leadership of the organization in late 2020. Under her leadership, InsideTrack has grown to serve more than 3.6 million students and over 425 diverse institutional partners. A passionate commentator on issues of educational access, equity and mobility, Ruth is a frequent speaker at higher education conferences, including ASU+GSV, SHEEO Annual and UPCEA MEMS. Her commentary on the impact of coaching in education and the workplace has appeared in The Hill, Higher Ed Dive, Diverse Issues in Higher Ed, The Hechinger Report, University Business and Times Higher Education.  

Amy Daxenbichler
Dean of Students at Illinois Central College

Amy Daxenbichler is the dean of students at Illinois Central College, where she oversees advisement, counseling, transfer services, international education, student engagement and retention, and access services. With nearly 15 years of experience in higher education, she is dedicated to creating inclusive, student-centered environments that support student success and well-being. Amy holds a master of business administration and a master’s degree in clinical mental health counseling, and she is currently completing her dissertation toward a Ph.D. in business. Her combined background in leadership and counseling allows her to approach student success through both strategic and human-centered perspectives. Throughout her career, Amy has led initiatives, including a stopout re-engagement plan alongside InsideTrack that strengthen engagement, enhance retention and expand access for diverse student populations. She is passionate about empowering students and advancing institutional practices that help every learner thrive. 

Martin Kurzweil
Vice President of Educational Transformation at Ithaka S+R

Martin Kurzweil is vice president of educational transformation at Ithaka S+R. The educational transformation program studies and supports the implementation of practices, policies and innovations that improve equitable postsecondary access and success. Since launching the program in 2015, Martin and his team have conducted research, coordinated cross-institutional initiatives, and advised education leaders and policymakers on topics such as student debt, transfer, state and federal policy, and the use of technology in teaching and advising. Among other signature projects, Martin helped launch and serves on the steering committee of the American Talent Initiative, a 128-member initiative to significantly increase the number of lower-income students enrolled and graduating from high-graduation-rate colleges and universities. A graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Law School, Martin has spent most of his career in education research and policy. He was previously an academic fellow at Columbia Law School, where his research and teaching focused on administrative law, federalism, and organizational governance in the context of K-12 and higher education. Prior to joining Columbia, Martin was senior executive director for research, accountability and data at the New York City Department of Education, where he oversaw school evaluation and internal and external research for the 1.1-million-student district. As a researcher at the Mellon Foundation, Martin studied higher education equity, finance and sports, among other topics. As a practicing lawyer, Martin clerked for Judge Pierre Leval of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit and worked as a litigator at Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz. Martin has published dozens of reports, articles, commentaries and book chapters, on a wide range of education-related topics, in both academic and popular venues. He is the co-author of Equity and Excellence in American Higher Education, which received the 2006 American Educational Research Association Outstanding Book Award.  

Leanne Davis
Managing Researcher, Postsecondary Success at Education Northwest