Kate Shaw has been named executive director of the recently established Pennsylvania State Board of Higher Education.
Currently, Dr. Shaw serves as deputy secretary for higher education at the Pennsylvania Department of Education. Throughout her career, she has focused on creating accessible and equitable postsecondary education systems. She previously served as a senior advisor with HCM Strategists, a national policy development consulting firm, and director of Research for Action, a Philadelphia-based education research organization. Earlier in her career, she spent a decade on the faculty at Temple University, where she chaired the department of educational leadership and policy studies.
“It is a tremendous honor to support this first-of-its-kind board here in Pennsylvania, and I look forward to working alongside the experienced leaders on the board to strengthen postsecondary education and expand its capacity to serve the needs of the Commonwealth and its residents,” said Dr. Shaw. “A robust higher education sector providing affordable postsecondary credentials aligned to good jobs is the lynchpin of a prosperous Pennsylvania. Now is the time to work together to make this vision a reality.”
Dr. Shaw holds a bachelor’s degree from Colby College in Waterville, Maine, and a Ph.D. from the University of Michigan.