Past Summit Speakers

Laura Perna is one of the nation’s foremost researchers on college access and affordability. Her scholarship focuses on how to ensure that all people, regardless of demographic characteristics and place of residence, have the opportunity to participate in and benefit from high-quality higher education. Of particular interest is identifying policies and practices of K–12 schools, colleges and universities, and federal and state governments that contribute to—and address—barriers to higher education.

Ansley Abraham joined the Southern Regional Education Board in 1985 as a research associate and became the founding director of the State Doctoral Scholars Program in 1993. Under Ansley’s direction, the Doctoral Scholars Program has developed into a nationally recognized program for producing minority Ph.D.s who seek faculty careers. The program hosts the annual Institute on Teaching and Mentoring — the largest gathering of minority Ph.D.

Wil Del Pilar serves as the vice president of higher education at the Education Trust where he works to advance Ed Trust’s higher education advocacy agenda by developing and implementing strategies to leverage research, policy, and practice to improve accountability, affordability and student success for low-income students and students of color. 

Sandra Kelly is the Director of Student Services at the Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning, Mississippi’s public university system. In this role, Kelly serves as an academic and student affairs liaison, working directly with higher education leaders in Mississippi and across the nation, state and federal policymakers and more. Before her tenure at IHL, Sandra served as the Director of Student Services at Belhaven University in Jackson, MS.  

Juliet Murawski is the director of the Higher Education Office in the Delaware Department of Education. Murawski has been with Higher Education Office Workgroup for seven years, recently transiting into the director role, and is focused on creating access to postsecondary careers and education for every student in Delaware.

Nicolle Parsons-Pollard, Ph.D. was appointed by Georgia State University President M. Brian Blake as Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs effective Feb. 1, 2023. She served as interim provost in 2022. Prior to her appointment in this leadership role, she was appointed in 2020 as Georgia State’s Associate Provost for Faculty Affairs. 

Latoya Watson is a scholar-practitioner who has over 19 years of experience in higher education and education policy. She has served as a coordinator of multicultural recruitment, an academic advisor and most recently, assistant dean where she focused on student outcomes. She teaches undergraduate courses in Leadership. She also conducts workshops and conference presentations to empower attendees to lead change in their lives and others.