Moderated By: Kimberly M. Lowry, Ph.D.

Kimberly M. Lowry, Ph.D. currently serves as the Director of Leadership and Impact at The Aspen Institute. Her portfolio includes Presidential Fellowships and the Aspen Prize. Prior to this role she served as the Vice President for Instruction and Student Services at Lone Star College- Houston North, the Associate Vice Chancellor of Student Engagement and success at Houston Community College and as the Associate Vice President of Academic Affairs and Student Success at Eastfield College. She has over two decades of higher education experience, spanning across various institutional types which include Wilberforce University, The University of North Texas at Dallas and Eastfield College.

Dr. Lowry is a proud first-generation community college graduate who transferred to California State Long Beach where she earned both her M.S. in Counseling and her B.A. in Psychology. Dr. Lowry then received her Ph.D. in Higher Education at the University of North Texas. As a community college scholar, her research focuses on community college choice, high achieving African American students and student athletes. Finally, Dr. Lowry stays involved in numerous professional associations. She served as the Director of the Community College Division for NASPA as well as a board member for the National Council for Instructional Administrators.