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Every single one of our accomplishments over the course of our 20 years is a result of the dedicated and brilliant team I have been blessed to work alongside – including Jessie Ryan as our Executive Vice President and Audrey Dow as our Senior Vice President. It is uncommon to have three women executive leaders running an organization, and we have done it incredibly well. We have leveraged our different skill sets, balanced the politics of our work, strengthened partnerships, and represented students in key battles – all while raising our own families. I am fortunate to know and love these women. I am especially proud of how we have accomplished this work while defying so many odds through a shared leadership model built on mutual respect, intelligence, courage, strength, vulnerability, love, and humility.
I am excited and grateful for Audrey as she moves into a new role with the Campaign on March 1st as a Senior Advisor, where she will continue to provide strategic thought partnership and guidance on our communications work as she launches her own consultancy. During her 15 years at the Campaign, she shaped our media engagement and communications strategy, co-authored key research, launched our State of Higher Education series of Latinx, Black, and Asian American and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander reports, developed statewide messaging campaigns, and provided lead strategy in our successful effort to prevent the California State University system from adding freshman admission requirements that would have disparate impacts on Black and Latinx students. She is a master relationship builder who developed strong partnerships across California with key community, business, education, and civic leaders. Following the 2016 election results and attacks on immigrants, Audrey helped guide the launch of our Undocumented Higher Education Coalition. This is by no means a complete list of her contributions to our work, which would be impossible to quantify. She accomplished all of this while raising four smart, beautiful children and managed the unmanageable work and expectations of a working mother - excelling in her career and making sure to excel at caring for her loved ones. She has mentored and supported her colleagues, and has been a dependable partner for me, one who astutely raised concerns, offered wisdom and strategic suggestions, and provided unwavering support.
Audrey always made me and the Campaign better. I get to stand in the limelight and receive praise for our victories, each of which belong to Audrey as well. The secret to any organization’s success will always be both the worthiness of the cause and the commitment and execution by the people dedicated to that cause. Audrey embodies the brilliance every organization needs, and this beautiful sisterhood of executive leadership that Jessie, Audrey, and I have been a part of for 15 years – well . . . it is the kind of magic you cannot find everywhere. Because of it, I know this is not a goodbye, Audrey is family, and I am looking forward to all she chooses to do next.
Sincerely,
MICHELE SIQUEIROS
President, Campaign for College Opportunity
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Over Audrey's 15-year tenure at the Campaign, she has been a key component of significant successes in research, policy, and coalition-building. Audrey has guided and catalyzed the Campaign's work in: | |
Audrey led the branding and launch of a series of campaigns targeted at state leadership to prioritize goal setting, improve coordination, close racial/ethnic gaps, transform transfer, and increase attainment. In 2010, Audrey developed the One Million More campaign, which worked to raise awareness of California's looming workforce shortage. She later conceptualized and realized the design of two California higher education report cards in our Raise the Grades campaign, and developed Our California, targeted at the Governor of California with a playbook for key policies to be implemented. Most recently, Audrey has been a key part of our Transforming Transfer campaign, pushing for policies and practices that simplify the transfer pathway and increase college access and success. | |
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MASTERFULLY ENGAGING OUTREACH | |
Audrey led and sustained statewide coalitions to support key policy efforts at the University of California (UC), California State University (CSU), and California Community Colleges. She created and sustained regional coalitions in Los Angeles, Inland Empire, and Central Valley via the Regional Higher Education Engagement Hubs, which worked to significantly improve Associate Degree for Transfer (ADT) implementation, equitable placement, and the selection of equity-minded system leaders. | |  |
Audrey spearheaded two critical coalitions: the CA Undocumented Higher Education Coalition, which has been responsible for vastly expanding public policies regarding college access for undocumented students, and the CA Higher Education Equity Coalition, a key coalition for the cradle-to-career data system and equitable placement practices. Audrey additionally led three listening tours across the state to glean insights on top higher education issues to inform the Campaign’s policy agenda. | | | |
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LEADING RESEARCH
Audrey transformed critical data into what would become the State of Higher Education series that has set the bar for collecting race/ethnic data along the education pipeline as a critical piece of student success. She also served as a leading author for four publications and made significant contributions to a myriad more that have become a robust portfolio of equity-centered research by the Campaign.
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POSITIONING THE CAMPAIGN IN THE MEDIA | Audrey has positioned the Campaign to be a relevant, credible go-to media source that has provided an alternative narrative to institutional perspectives focused on the assets of students and the shortcomings of institutional policies and practices to serve those students. This has resulted in well over 50,000 unique news articles and opinion editorials in the last 15 years. | |
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"Audrey is the very embodiment of what it means to be 'down for the cause.' Audrey’s commitment to serving those who are the most vulnerable, the communication acumen that allows her to effortlessly take that which is complicated and translate it to something digestible, and her ability to build and cultivate relationships have not only greatly contributed to the growth and influence of the Campaign for College Opportunity, but have contributed to educating our State around the deep systemic challenges facing low-income and students of color. Audrey, I thank you for all that you have done for all of us and I am excited about your future endeavors."
DR. EDWARD BUSH
Chair of the Board, Campaign for College Opportunity
President, Cosumnes River College
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"Audrey Dow’s communication skills on paper and on her feet made the campaign a formidable influence in higher education policy making. She exercised leadership in California and nationally by sharp, clear, and compelling communication. Her command of strategic communication elevated the Campaign to one of the most influential players in the higher education arena."
DR. ESTELA BENSIMON
Board Member, Campaign for College Opportunity
University Professor Emerita, University of Southern California
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"Audrey is a steadfast champion for equity and a masterful communicator. Most importantly, she has a wonderful heart and we are lucky to have her in whatever capacity works for her."
MARIA ANGUIANO
Executive Vice President, Learning Enterprise at Arizona State University
Board Member, Campaign for College Opportunity
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"Audrey is a true force for good among education equity advocates, and I’ve genuinely appreciated her fearlessness over the years as we partnered to tackle some of the hardest challenges facing higher education in California. Perhaps most importantly, I have valued Audrey's friendship and appreciate that she's modeled a spirit of care and generosity in our interactions. While I know she’ll be missed at the Campaign for College Opportunity, I’m excited to see where this next chapter leads because I know her work will undoubtedly continue to positively impact the lives of students."
DR. CHRISTOPHER J. NELLUM
Executive Director, Education Trust—West
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With your support, we know that we can ensure that every Californian has the opportunity to go to college and succeed. Your contribution ensures that we continue to create bridges between our state’s higher education institutions and advocate for student success. | | | | | | |
