Areas of expertise: Postsecondary education. Workforce policy. Apprenticeship. Federal appropriations.
Jennifer Stiddard is a Senior Fellow at the National Skills Coalition, where she serves as an expert on higher education and workforce policy for the organization’s government affair’s team. In that role, Jennifer focuses particularly on federal policies to increase access and remove financial barriers and for individuals seeking skills training and postsecondary credentials.
For nearly two decades, Jennifer has worked in various roles on Capitol Hill and the non-profit sector to advance policies supporting access, success, and equity in higher education and workforce. Most recently she served as senior policy advisor to the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions overseeing the workforce portfolio for Chair Patty Murray. As senior policy advisor, Jennifer worked on legislation addressing recovery efforts related to the COVID-19 pandemic, including the CARES Act, the American Rescue Plan Act, and the Build Back Better Act, as well as policies to reform the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act and the National Apprenticeship Act.
Prior to her work on the Senate HELP Committee, Jennifer was director of government relations for the Association of Community College Trustees (ACCT). During her time at ACCT, she played a key role in advancing legislation to provide students with year-round access to the Pell Grant program and increase federal funding for key community college priorities. She has worked closely on the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act (HEA) both during her time at ACCT, as well as her years serving as senior legislative assistant to Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson. For the 2008 reauthorization of the HEA, Jennifer worked to enact a provision into law that provided access to the Pell Grant program for children who lost a parent in the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. She also served as a lead to the Congressional Black Caucus Education Taskforce while working for Congresswoman Johnson.
Jennifer is a sought-after speaker on postsecondary and workforce policy, as well as federal advocacy. She has participated on numerous panels, including presenting on Capitol Hill. She has also served as a contributor to many publications, including as one of the main authors to The Trustee’s Role in Effective Advocacy (2019).
Jennifer holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Florida, and a Master of Education from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in education policy with a focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion. She is based in Washington, D.C.
