James Kvaal

James Richard Kvaal is an American attorney and education policy advisor who is the current under secretary of education in the Biden administration. Kvaal previously served in the United States Department of Education and White House Office during the Obama administration.

James Kvaal
United States Under Secretary of Education
Assumed office
September 22, 2021
PresidentJoe Biden
Preceded byTed Mitchell
Personal details
Born
James Richard Kvaal
EducationStanford University (BA)
Harvard University (JD)

Education

Kvaal earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in public policy from Stanford University in 1996[1] and a Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School in 2007.[2][3]

Career

Before law school, Kvaal was a policy adviser in the administration of President Bill Clinton.[4]

During the first three years of the Obama administration, he was special assistant for economic policy and deputy undersecretary of education. After working for the Obama 2012 presidential campaign, he served as deputy policy director of the United States Domestic Policy Council in 2016. Kvaal was responsible for developing a federal college ratings system, which ultimately became the College Scorecard.[5] Early in the administration, Kvaal worked to increase Pell Grants and access to financial aid for college and job training.[6] Kvaal also worked to provide financial relief for students at for-profit institutions.[7][8][2][5]

During the Obama administration, Kvaal worked to establish a plan for free community college, announced in 2015.[8][9] Kvaal traveled the country to promote the plan and to encourage state and local governments to adopt their own versions.[8]

In 2017, he became president of the Institute for College Access and Success, where he continued working to hold colleges accountable, make student debt manageable.[10][11][12]

On February 17, 2021, Kvaal was announced as the nominee to serve as under secretary of education in the Biden administration.[13] At his confirmation hearing in April 2021, senators raised a number of topics, including student debt, tuition, college football, and oversight of for-profit colleges.[14] Kvaal received bipartisan support from the United States Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, but his confirmation vote on the senate floor was delayed due to an objection from Senator Elizabeth Warren, which she eventually withdrew.

The Senate invoked cloture on Kvaal's nomination on September 13, 2021 in a 55-37 vote.[15]

The Senate confirmed Kvaal's nomination on September 14, 2021 in a 58-37 vote.[16][17][18]

References
  1. "Stanford alum James Kvaal '96 begins Senate confirmation hearing for education undersecretary". 17 April 2021.
  2. Mangan, Katherine (August 28, 2013). "James Kvaal, Key Player in Obama Proposals, Has Long Pushed for Reforms". www.chronicle.com. Retrieved 2021-09-06.
  3. http://www.p2012.org/candidates/obamaorg.html
  4. "StackPath". 25 January 2012.
  5. Stratford, Michael (March 11, 2016). "Obama adviser who shaped higher education policies is leaving White House". www.insidehighered.com. Retrieved 2021-09-06.
  6. Mitchell, Josh (2021). The debt trap : how student loans became a national catastrophe (1st Simon & Schuster hardcover ed.). New York, NY: Simon & Schuster. ISBN 978-1-5011-9944-8. OCLC 1242971246.
  7. Whitman, David deF (2021). The profits of failure : for-profit colleges and the closing of the conservative mind. Cypress House. ISBN 9780998785431.
  8. Field, Kelly (March 10, 2016). "Key White House Education Official Steps Down". www.chronicle.com. Retrieved 2021-09-06.
  9. "FACT SHEET - White House Unveils America's College Promise Proposal: Tuition-Free Community College for Responsible Students". whitehouse.gov. 2015-01-09. Retrieved 2021-09-06.
  10. Douglas-Gabriel, Danielle (June 22, 2021). "Warren holds up confirmation of a Biden pick at Education Department". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2021-09-06.
  11. "Kvaal gets higher education position in Education Department". www.insidehighered.com. 22 February 2021. Retrieved 2021-02-23.
  12. "James Kvaal Announced as New Under Secretary of Education - Higher Education". 19 February 2021. Retrieved 2021-02-23.
  13. "Nominations Sent to the Senate". The White House. 2021-02-22. Retrieved 2021-02-23.
  14. "Hearing on under secretary nominee Kvaal focuses on debt and tuition". www.insidehighered.com. 16 April 2021. Retrieved 2021-08-14.
  15. "U.S. Senate: U.S. Senate Roll Call Votes 117th Congress - 1st Session".
  16. "Democrat Stalls Confirmation of Top Biden Higher Education Pick". Bloomberg Government. 21 June 2021. Retrieved 2021-08-14.
  17. Stratford, Michael (11 August 2021). "Warren drops opposition to Biden's higher education nominee". POLITICO. Retrieved 2021-08-14.
  18. "U.S. Senate: U.S. Senate Roll Call Votes 117th Congress - 1st Session".
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