Maile Symonds

Maile Symonds is a research manager at the Aspen Institute College Excellence Program, supporting the American Talent Initiative, Transfer Intensive, and other CEP efforts to advance higher education equity.

Prior to joining CEP, Maile held various federal education policy and education research roles. She has experience in education policy research at the Brookings Institution and conducting education research and evaluation at Westat. Additionally, Maile was a program specialist at the U.S. Department of Education and an education policy fellow in the U.S. Senate where she contributed to legislative efforts to advance equity, access, and success in both K-12 and higher education. Maile also served as a secondary math teacher in Waianae, Hawai’i.

Maile holds a B.A. from Willamette University and an M.P.P. from Carnegie Mellon University’s Heinz College.