Laura Neergaard Booker, PhD

Executive Director
Tennessee Education Research Alliance
Senior Lecturer Leadership, Policy, & Organizations
Peabody College at Vanderbilt University

Laura Booker is the Executive Director of the Tennessee Education Research Alliance and an assistant professor of the practice at Vanderbilt University. Prior to joining the faculty at Vanderbilt, Laura worked for six years at the Tennessee Department of Education, where she led the research team and served as a broker for several research-practice partnerships. Laura teaches courses on program evaluation, evidence-based decision making, and research methods. Laura completed her Ph.D. in Education Policy at Vanderbilt University as an Institute of Education Sciences (IES) Fellow, where her dissertation focused on measuring the quality of instructional practices. Laura has a B.A. from the University of Alabama and a M.P.P. from Vanderbilt University.

Benjamin W. Cottingham

Associate Director of Strategic Partnerships
Policy Analysis for California Education Stanford University

Benjamin Cottingham is the associate director of strategic partnerships at PACE. His work focuses on the development of organizational conditions that support the continual improvement of student outcomes across California’s education system. He examines how California’s county offices of education support continuous improvement. He is involved with several research partnerships, including the CORE-PACE partnership, studying the impact of networked improvement communities on at-risk student populations. Cottingham received his master’s in education policy from Stanford University.

Mike Morath

Commissioner of Education
Texas Education Agency

Mike Morath was appointed by Gov. Greg Abbott was Commissioner of the Texas Education Agency in January 2016 and was unanimously confirmed by the Texas Senate in March 2017. In this role he oversees pre-kindergarten through high school education for more than 5.5 million students enrolled in both traditional independent school districts and public charter schools across the state. Prior to becoming the state’s Education Commissioner, Morath served on the Dallas Independent School District board of trustees for more than four years. During that time, he focused on academic improvements. And by his final year on the board, DISD had seen improvement in various areas including rise in kindergarten readiness, math proficiency and graduation rates.

David Troutman

Deputy Commissioner for Academic Affairs and Innovation
Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board

Dr. David Troutman serves as Deputy Commissioner of the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB), leading divisions for academic and health affairs, college and career advising, student success, digital learning, and data management and research. With nearly twenty years dedicated to Texas higher education, Dr. Troutman has played a key role in advancing THECB’s Building a Talent Strong Texas strategic plan and the Governor’s Tri-Agency Workforce Initiative. His previous tenure as Chief Data Officer and Associate Vice Chancellor for Institutional Research and Analysis at the University of Texas System, along with collaborations with the Institute for Higher Education Policy (IHEP) and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation for the Postsecondary Value Commission, have been foundational to his current successes.

Nationally recognized, Dr. Troutman has made significant contributions to higher education policy and data analysis. His collaborative initiatives, especially the founding of the Postsecondary Employment Outcomes Coalition, unite over 30 states in evaluating the economic impact of postsecondary education. His expertise is further acknowledged through advisory roles with the National Student Clearinghouse Research Board and the Carnegie Classification Technical Review Panel, under the American Council on Education (ACE).

Dr. Troutman is renowned for merging data, policy, and practice, playing a crucial role in bridging the K-12 to Workforce pipeline. Featured in leading media outlets like The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post, his work has significantly influenced both state and national educational landscapes. Looking ahead, Dr. Troutman is committed to evolving educational pathways and preparing students for a dynamic and changing workforce, aiming to shape the future of education and workforce readiness in profound ways.

Joel Vargas

Vice President of Education Practice
Jobs for the Future

Joel Vargas serves as Vice President of Education Practice at Jobs for the future where he oversees programs focused on improving learning systems and outcomes. He was previously vice president of programs and launched their West Coast office in 2015. Over his career Joel has led efforts to design and implement research, systems changes, and state policy agendas for integrating high school, college, and career; to create policy frameworks, tools and model legislation; and to provide technical assistance to state task forces and policy working groups.  Before joining Jobs for the Future, Joel directed, initiated, and studied programs designed to help students from populations underrepresented in postsecondary education enter and complete college. Joel holds a Bachelor’s degree in journalism from Boston University, and a Master’s degree and EdD in education planning, administration, and social policy from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.