Dr. Valerie Lundy-Wagner Joins California Competes
Valerie Lundy-Wagner, PhD
California Competes: Higher Education for a Strong Economy has announced that Valerie Lundy-Wagner, PhD, an accomplished researcher with expertise in higher education, will join the organization next month. Well-versed in California’s higher education system, especially career and guided pathways, she has most recently served as an associate research director at Jobs for the Future in the Oakland office. Dr. Lundy-Wagner’s work has informed institutional, regional, and state-level strategies designed to support workforce development and fundamentally focuses on postsecondary completion of meaningful credentials by demographically, academically, and geographically diverse populations.
I’m excited to bring my experience leading comprehensive technical assistance and research projects to California Competes, an organization advancing substantive change across the state’s higher education systems.
Dr. Valerie Lundy-Wagner
Prior to Jobs for the Future, Dr. Lundy-Wagner was a senior research associate at the Community College Research Center. She earned her bachelor’s degree in civil and environmental engineering from the University of California, Los Angeles, a master’s degree in education from Stanford University, and a PhD in higher education from the University of Pennsylvania. She was also a post-doctoral scholar in engineering education at Purdue University and faculty fellow in higher education at New York University.
“We are thrilled to welcome Valerie to California Competes in the role of senior research analyst. She brings strong leadership and impressive qualitative and quantitative research skills to the team. Further, her career trajectory and areas of focus demonstrate her commitment to equitable degree completion and a shared passion for our mission,” said California Competes Executive Director Dr. Lande Ajose.
Dr. Lundy-Wagner will be based out of California Competes’ Oakland headquarters
