Stephen J. Handel, PhD
Senior Program Officer, Special Opportunities
Stephen J. Handel, PhD, oversees a portfolio of special opportunity grants at ECMC Foundation. Prior to joining the Foundation, he served as the College Board’s Senior Strategist for Strategic Higher Education Assessment Use and Opportunity. In this capacity, he consulted with college and university enrollment leaders in the application of fair and effective higher education admission assessments and other resources that benefit students seeking success in postsecondary education, especially students from underserved groups. Steve also served as chief admission officer for the University of California (UC) system, providing leadership on freshman and community college transfer policy and practice for the nine UC undergraduate campuses. With over 23 years of service at the UC, Steve served in a variety of leadership roles in such areas as undergraduate admissions, enrollment management, outreach and student services.
Steve is the co-author of books and monographs on higher education, including Beyond Free College: Making Higher Education Work for 21st Century Students with Eileen L. Strempel (Rowman & Littlefield, 2021) and the two-volume series, Transition and Transformation (also with Strempel, 2016, 2018), The Promise of the Transfer Pathway: Opportunity and Challenge for Community College Students Seeking the Baccalaureate Degree (with Ronald Williams, 2012) and the Community College Sourcebook: Strategies for Advising Transfer Students from Experienced Community College Counselors (2009). Articles and essays include Fairness and Fate in Elite College Admissions, Reigniting the Promise of the Transfer Pathway, College Admission: Now and Then Again, Under Match and the Community College Student, Reimagining Remediation (with Ronald Williams), Strengthening the Nation by Narrowing the Gap (with James Montoya) and Second Chance, Not Second Class: A Blueprint for Community College Transfer.
Steve earned his PhD and MA degrees from the University of California, Los Angeles, a BA from California State University, Sacramento, and an AA from Cosumnes River Community College (Sacramento, CA).
Learn More About Our Staff
Jacob Fraire
President
Lynn Alvarez
Vice President, Programs and Strategy
Amber Angel
Program Officer
Sarah Belnick
Senior Program Director
Danielle Carrillo
Grants Manager
Jessica Diep
Manager, Grants Administration
Bryan Fahrbach
Program and Evaluation Associate
Anna Fontus
Program Officer
Jessica Haselton
Director, Education Innovation Ventures
Paula Kashtan
Program Officer
Ali Miller
Learning and Evaluation Officer
Loraine Park
Director, Learning and Evaluation
Jonathan T. Reid
Program Officer
Joanna Rosenthal
Communications Director
Stephanie Sowl, PhD
Program Officer
Ireri Rivas Mier y Teran
Program Officer
Saúl Valdez
Senior Program Officer
Megan Wery
Senior Associate, Education Innovation Ventures
Jennifer Zeisler
Senior Program Director