Speaker & Moderator Biographies
C. Tapscott "Scott" Buchanan
President, St. Thomas University (FL)
Scott Buchanan is the Executive Director of the Student Loan Servicing Alliance (SLSA), a non-profit trade association that represents nearly all student loan servicers in the country and their service partners for both federal and private student loans. In this role he has testified in front of Congress and many state legislatures on higher education financing policy. He has also been quoted by or appeared on CNN, CBS, the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, the Washington Post, Politico, NPR, and many others as an expert on student loan topics.
Previously, Scott was Senior Vice President of Business Development and Government Affairs for CBE Companies, a global provider of outsourced contact center services. Scott also has continued to serve as a Principal Consultant at Merak Associates LLC, where he advises and counsels clients including financial services and investment firms, institutions of higher education, and BPO companies on legislative, regulatory, and business development strategy. Before his consulting work, Scott served as Vice President of Business Development, Sales, and Marketing at Navient. In that role he ran corporate marketing and research, oversaw brand strategy, directed business development and the sales organizations, while advising the company on corporate strategy. Prior to Navient, he served as Vice President of Government Affairs and Services with Sallie Mae. In that role he worked with Members of Congress, government agencies, and other policymakers to inform discussion on higher education, financial services, and tax policy. He oversaw the state affairs interests of the company and had responsibility for GR and political compliance processes.
Scott holds a Bachelors in Political Science from Davidson College and a Masters in Public Policy from George Mason University.
Dawn Buth
Managing Director of Government Relations, National Collegiate Athletic Association
Dawn Buth serves as the managing director of the NCAA Office of Government Relations. In this role, she oversees all state and federal education and advocacy efforts on behalf of the Association’s nearly 1,100 member schools. Dawn was named as one of Washingtonian magazine’s “Most Influential People” in 2022 and 2023 as well as The Hill’s “Top Lobbyists” in 2023 and 2024. Dawn also served as a U.S. Health and Human Services National Women’s Health Week Ambassador in 2023. Prior to her arrival in Washington, D.C., Dawn worked for the NCAA Sport Science Institute leading their strategic engagement and communication efforts.
Prior to the SSI, Dawn developed and oversaw leadership development programming for senior administrators, student-athletes, and coaches with the NCAA Leadership Development office from 2013-15. Before joining the NCAA, Dawn worked and interned with the U.S. Agency for International Development, World Bank, Game Set Ghana, The George Washington University, and Oxley Consulting.
Dawn earned her master’s from The George Washington University Trachtenberg School of Public Policy and Public Administration and received her undergraduate degree from the University of Florida while participating as a women’s tennis student-athlete. She is a four-time NCAA Division I champion, four-time SEC champion, seven-time Athletic All-American and an Academic All-American. In 2011, she was inducted into the University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame. Dawn also competed as a professional athlete and in her short 3-year career, she was ranked among the Women’s Tennis Association’s top 100 players in the world
Nathan Cook
Senior Director of Government Relations, Rice University
Nathan joined Rice in 2017 and serves as senior director of government relations, leading Rice's policy efforts and working alongside academic and administrative divisions to identify, prioritize and achieve Rice's strategic goals across government. As part of the Public Affairs team, he collaborates with colleagues to raise the university’s profile by linking Rice faculty researchers and experts with policymakers, government agencies and their staff.
Before joining Rice, Nathan served McKesson Specialty Health – The US Oncology Network as senior manager of government and community relations, traveling the country to advocate for community oncology providers and their patients. Prior to that he served as district director for U.S. Rep. Pete Olson and deputy regional director for U.S. Sen. John Cornyn. He also served in the U.S. Army Reserves from 1997 to 2005, including a deployment to Balad, Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom (2004-2005).
Cook received a Bachelor of Science degree in political science from Texas A&M University.
Gail daMota
President, Education Finance Council
Gail daMota is the President of Education Finance Council (EFC), the national trade association representing nonprofit and state-based higher education finance organizations. EFC members strive to increase postsecondary education access, affordability, and success for millions of students and their families by offering the resources needed to successfully plan, save, and pay for college. In her role as president, daMota leads EFC’s advocacy efforts on legislative and regulatory issues related to higher education finance, to promote EFC’s goals and initiatives, and to identify and develop opportunities for EFC and its members.
daMota came to EFC in 2001 with more than a decade of experience in higher education, strategic planning, and personnel management and development. daMota has been a key member of EFC’s leadership team through its development into a highly respected organization.
Prior to joining EFC, daMota was the Director of Federal Relations for the Connecticut Student Loan Foundation (CSLF). Prior to CSLF, she was the Vice President of Operations for a financial aid third-party servicer and financial aid software firm. Ms. daMota began her career in higher education as a financial aid director.
Jody Feder, J.D.
Director of Accountability and Regulatory Affairs, NAICU
Jody Feder represents NAICU on issues including: accreditation, state authorization, Title IX, and educational privacy with Congress and the Administration. She joined the NAICU staff in March 2017 after more than 14 years as a legislative attorney with the Congressional Research Service. At CRS, she provided nonpartisan advice and analysis to Members of Congress on civil rights and education law. Prior to attending law school, she wrote about federal education issues as an editor for Thompson Publishing Group. Feder earned a bachelor’s degree in political science and government from Brown University (RI) and a law degree from Yale University (CT).
Stephanie T. Giesecke
Assistant Vice President for Government Relations, NAICU
Stephanie Giesecke represents NAICU with Congress, the administration, and the higher education community on budget and appropriations issues. Previously, she was a legislative assistant for Rep. Bill Alexander (D-AR), and a legislative assistant for the Association of Community College Trustees (ACCT). She is an active member of the Committee for Education Funding and served as its president in 2006 and 2019. Giesecke is a graduate of Washington University in St. Louis (MO) and The George Washington University (DC).
Marjorie Hass, Ph.D.
President, Council of Independent Colleges
Marjorie Hass is a philosopher, leader, award-winning teacher, mentor, author, and an influential thinker in independent higher education. She has led the Council of Independent Colleges since 2021. and guides the organization's programming to ensure it engages a diverse membership; supports member financial health and innovation; and strengthens CIC's role as a champion of independent higher education.
Before joining CIC, Hass served as president of Rhodes College (TN) and of Austin College (TX). She also served at Muhlenberg College (PA) as a member of the philosophy faculty and as provost.
A philosopher by training, Hass has published widely on the philosophy of language, logic, and feminist philosophy and speaks frequently on leadership, shared governance, and the independent sector in higher education. She is the author of A Leadership Guide for Women in Higher Education (Johns Hopkins Press, 2021).
Hass earned bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees in philosophy from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She is a former NAICU board chair and currently is a trustee at Brandeis University (MA).
Kedra Ishop
Senior Vice President Higher Education, Membership, and Access, College Board
Dr. Kedra Ishop leads efforts that engage, support, deepen relationships with, and mobilize our members to broadly advance access, opportunity, and future career success for students. Working with constituents across K−12 and higher education, she directs our work with our higher education partners, and she and her higher education, financial aid, and membership teams ensure that College Board meets the needs of our diverse member institutions and the students they serve. As secretary of the organization, she oversees all matters relating to our governance structure and Board of Trustees.
Kedra has spent her entire career in higher education. She began her career at the University of Texas at Austin. She left UT Austin to join the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor. Kedra joined College Board after serving at the University of Southern California as vice president for enrollment management. Throughout her career, she has advanced a student-centered vision while overseeing offices of admission, financial aid, orientation and first year, enrollment marketing and communication, and registrar.
She holds three degrees from the University of Texas at Austin: a BA in sociology, an MEd in higher education administration, and a PhD in educational administration. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and two sons.
Karin L. Johns
Director of Tax Policy, NAICU
As director of tax policy, Karin Johns is responsible for developing NAICU's legislative strategies and representing the association on tax policy issues and nonprofit governance. She also serves as liaison to the NAICU Secretariat, co-chairs the Section 127 Coalition, handles issues affecting international students, immigration, and several Department of Labor issues like the overtime rule. Previously, she was legislative director for Rep. Phil English (R-PA), and a legislative assistant for Rep. Fred Grandy (R-IA). Johns graduated from Westminster College (PA) and attended the Fund for American Studies Institute on Political Journalism at Georgetown University (DC).
John Kroger
President & CEO, Rodel Institute
John R. Kroger is President and Chief Executive Officer of the Rodel Institute, one of the nation’s premier leadership development organizations for political leaders, judges, and public servants.
John has had a distinguished career in higher education and public service, including prior work as a United States Marine, Assistant U.S. Attorney, Attorney General of Oregon, President of Reed College, Vice President of the Aspen Institute, and Chief Learning Officer of the United States Navy and Marine Corps. He has taught throughout his career, with appointments as Visiting Professor at Harvard Law School, Hauser Leader in Residence at Harvard Kennedy School of Government, Visiting Lecturer in Political Science at Yale University, and Visiting Professor at Lewis and Clark Law School. John was a tenured professor at Lewis and Clark Law School from 2002 to 2012, during which time he took leaves of absence to serve as Attorney General of Oregon and Trial Attorney on the U.S. Department of Justice Enron Task Force. Earlier in his career, John served as a legislative aide to Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Thomas Foley and Representative, now Senator, Charles Schumer.
John’s awards include the Harry S. Truman Scholarship; National Endowment of the Humanities Younger Scholar award; Harvard Law School Traphagen Distinguished Alumni award; Aspen Institute Rodel Fellowship; Mark DeWolfe Howe Fellowship in Anglo-American Legal History at Harvard Law School; Harvard University’s Certificate of Distinction in Teaching; Lewis and Clark’s Law School’s Levenson Award for Teaching Excellence (three-time award winner); the U.S. Department of Justice Director’s Award for Superior Performance as an Assistant United States Attorney; ESGR’s Seven Seals Award for protecting veterans; and commendations from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Drug Enforcement Administration, and U.S. State Department. John is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and a former Fellow at Harvard’s Safra Center for Ethics.
John received his B.A. and M.A. degrees from Yale University, graduating magna cum laude with Distinction in Philosophy. He received his J.D. magna cum laude from Harvard Law School and clerked on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. John writes frequently on issues in law, education, and national security. His blog, “Leadership in Higher Education,” is featured on Inside Higher Ed. His book, Convictions, about his work as a federal prosecutor was published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux and won the Oregon Book Award in 2008.
Renee McPhatter
Associate Vice President for Government and Community Relations, The George Washington University (DC)
As the Associate Vice President for Government and Community Relations, Renee McPhatter manages the strategic direction of the federal, state and local governmental activities of the university, as well as its community and business relations. Before taking this position in August 2011, Renee served as general counsel for the District of Columbia Department of Employment Services. She previously served as deputy director of policy and legislative affairs for former D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty and director of the D.C. Smoke Free Campaign for the American Cancer Society. Earlier in her career, Renee worked for D.C. Councilmember Kathy Patterson and former U.S. Rep. Sam Coppersmith (D-Ariz.). Renee earned her undergraduate degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and her law degree from the University of Texas at Austin School of Law. She resides in the District with her son.
Barbara K. Mistick, D.B.A.
President, NAICU
Barbara Mistick has led NAICU since September 2019. Coming out of the pandemic, she helped organize the higher education community and spearheaded efforts to double the Pell Grant maximum award to $13,000. The effort secured a down payment increase of $400 in the FY2022 federal budget and $500 in the FY2023 federal budget, the largest increases in the Pell Grant maximum award since 2009. NAICU advocacy efforts also helped secure substantial increases in each of the core student and institutional aid programs in the 2023 omnibus spending package.
Mistick expanded NAICU’s mission to secure institutional aid, along with student aid, to ensure private, nonprofit colleges and universities were equitably treated when Congress distributed $77 billion in Higher Education Emergency Relief Funds in each of the three stimulus rounds. She has enhanced NAICU’s communication efforts and virtual tools to keep members informed of federal efforts and opportunities for assistance. These efforts were critical to ensuring the health and safety for our nation’s campuses and the communities they serve.
During the course of her 30-year career in the public, private, and nonprofit sectors, Mistick has been an entrepreneur, educator and leader at institutions such as Wilson College (PA), the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, the H.J. Heinz School of Public Policy and Management at Carnegie Mellon University (PA), the National Education Center for Women in Business at Seton Hill University (PA), and at various businesses she managed and/or founded. She is a graduate of Carlow University (PA) and the University of Pittsburgh (PA), and earned a doctor of management from Case Western Reserve University (OH).
Justin Monk
Director of Student and Institutional Aid Policy, NAICU
Monk is NAICU’s lead policy expert on Title IV federal student assistance programs and the institutional aid programs found in Titles III and V of the Higher Education Act (HEA). He also is responsible for developing association policy positions on student and institutional aid, in conjunction with the association’s member college, university, and association presidents. Previously, Monk was the director of government affairs for the KIPP Foundation, where he was the key advocate advancing the foundation’s policy, legislative and regulatory priorities. Prior to KIPP, he served as Student Veterans of America’s director of policy, during which time he led efforts to increase protections for and improve outcomes of student veterans in higher education. Monk earned a bachelor of arts in psychology from Wake Forest University (NC) and a bachelor of science in business administration in economics from Appalachian State University (NC).
Alex Ricci
President, National Council of Higher Educations Resources (NCHER)
Alex Ricci is the president of the National Council of Higher Education Resources (NCHER). He provides superior advocacy, communications, policy analysis, and narrative and operational support to NCHER members so they may effectively help students and families develop, pay for, and achieve their career, training, and postsecondary educational goals. He does this by engaging with a wide range of stakeholders including federal government agencies, U.S. Congress, higher education thought leaders, and journalists.
Ricci came to NCHER after stints at Education Finance Council and the U.S. House of Representatives’ Committee on Education and Workforce. These positions cultivated his higher education policy expertise and passion for helping students find their pathway to prosperity. His bipartisan work with the U.S. Department of Education and other congressional offices resulted in several laws improving students’ lives.
Ricci earned his B.A. in political science from St. John’s University in Minnesota. A native of Minnesota, he currently resides in Virginia.
Jeremy Singer
President, College Board
As president of College Board, Jeremy leads the organization in delivering its mission and serving its members in a financially sustainable way. He oversees Advanced Placement®, the SAT and related instructional and assessment programs, BigFuture, Finance, Technology, Operations, International, Risk Management, Legal, and Global Strategy and Talent.
He’s also the host of The Education Equation, a podcast that explores how evidence and data can drive better outcomes for students.
In 2024, Jeremy took a six-month leave of absence from College Board to serve as FAFSA® Executive Advisor at the U.S. Department of Education. He led the successful launch of the 2025–26 FAFSA and put the program on a stable and positive long-term trajectory.
Jeremy serves on the board of trustees of Goucher College, an innovative liberal arts institution in Baltimore.
Earlier in his career, he held senior leadership roles across both nonprofit and for-profit education organizations. He served as president of Kaplan Test Prep’s Graduate, Pre-College, and K–12 divisions; president of Digital Products for McGraw Hill Higher Education; CFO and COO of the Grow Network; and executive director of Partners in School Innovation.
Jeremy earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan and an MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
Larry Stimpert, Ph.D.
President, Hampden-Sydney College (VA)
Larry Stimpert has served as the 25th president of Hampden-Sydney College since 2016. Reflecting his deep commitment to the liberal arts and the College’s distinctive mission, “to form good men and good citizens,” his presidency is focused on providing students with an extraordinary educational experience and outcomes. Under his leadership, the College has implemented curricular and co-curricular enhancements, including new majors and minors, an experiential learning initiative, a four-year leadership program, and new programs in entrepreneurship and outdoor education. The College has broadened the racial, ethnic, socio-economic, and geographic reach of its recruiting efforts and significantly improved retention. The College has set fundraising records in each of the last five years and it has pursued a vigorous building and renovation agenda that has culminated most recently in the construction of the Pauley Science Center and many other construction projects.
While serving as Hampden-Sydney’s president, Dr. Stimpert has chaired the Council of Independent Colleges in Virginia (CICV) and the Virginia Foundation for Independent Colleges (VFIC), and the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC). He is currently a member of the board of directors of the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities (NAICU).
Before coming to Hampden-Sydney, Dr. Stimpert served as Vice President for Academic Affairs and Professor of Economics and Management at DePauw University. Earlier, he served for 17 years as a professor in the Economics and Business Department at Colorado College. He is the author or co-author of many scholarly articles and the co-author of two management textbooks. Dr. Stimpert received his B.A. in economics from Illinois Wesleyan University, his M.B.A. from Columbia University, and his Ph.D. from the University of Illinois.
Before starting his academic career, Dr. Stimpert worked for the Norfolk Southern Corporation and the Chicago and North Western Transportation Company. Dr. Stimpert and his wife, Lesley, have two children.
He is currently a member of the NAICU Board of Directors.
Suzanne Stokes Vieth
Director of State Relations and Outreach, NAICU
Suzanne Stokes Vieth is responsible for cultivating and managing the association’s network of state executives, tracking emerging higher education issues at the state level, and serving as primary liaison with the Congressional Independent Colleges Caucus. She joined NAICU from the Population Association of America/ Association of Population Centers where she served as deputy director for government affairs. Previously, she served as the manager of congressional relations for the Association of Public Television Stations and began her career as a legislative assistant in the office of former U.S. Senator Christopher Dodd (D-CT). Vieth is a graduate of the University of Michigan.
Brent Wilder
President, Oregon Alliance of Independent Colleges & Universities
Brent Wilder has devoted his career to advancing higher education in Oregon. He currently serves as President of the Oregon Alliance of Independent Colleges and Universities (The Alliance), where he has held leadership roles since the organization’s inception, including Vice President and Interim President.
Before joining The Alliance, Mr. Wilder held leadership positions with the Oregon Independent College Foundation (OICF) and in intercollegiate athletics at the NCAA Division I level, including as an Assistant Men’s Basketball Coach at Oregon State University.
He holds both a bachelor’s and master’s degree from Oregon State University and serves on several boards and committees supporting higher education and economic development.