Karen Gross, the president of Southern Vermont College in Bennington, is taking a leave of absence from the academic world to serve as senior policy adviser at the U.S. Department of Education in Washington. In her advisory role, she will focus on issues in higher education, including access, affordability, and programmatic quality.
President Gross was named to her leadership position at Southern Vermont College in 2006. Previously, she was a professor at New York Law School. She is a graduate of Smith College and the Temple University School of Law.