SAN FRANCISCO / PRNewswire-USNewswire / — College Futures Foundation announced the appointment of Kendall Guthrie as Chief Learning Officer. As a member of senior management, she will head College Futures’ Learning & Evaluation Department and advance the Foundation’s strategy and program planning and assessment, communications, and learning.

Kendall comes to the position with 15 years of experience advising philanthropies and non-profits. Her areas of expertise include helping social sector leaders craft strategic, systemic approaches to change and designing practical measurement and evaluation systems that provide them with timely feedback to inform decision-making. She brings to the work extensive knowledge of the programs, policies, and people that are improving college access and success for low-income and first-generation college students.

“As we deepen our commitment to incorporating learning and evaluation into our grantmaking strategies, learning together with our grantees, and sharing data and lessons with the field, Kendall’s contributions will be invaluable,” said Julia Lopez, president and CEO of College Futures Foundation. “We are pleased to have her on our team.”

“I am delighted to join College Futures. The staff and leadership are an important, strategic voice in the field of California college success, and they demonstrate a clear commitment to a culture of learning, both within and beyond the walls of the Foundation,” said Kendall. “Translating concern and care for all of California’s students into better college outcomes requires clear strategic thinking and openness. I look forward to taking the work to the next level with a developmental evaluation approach, learning alongside our grantees and partners who know so much and are tackling complex issues.”

Previously, Kendall worked with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, where she led the Measurement, Learning, and Evaluation team for the Postsecondary Success strategy. She also worked on the Gates Foundation’s College Ready Strategy, which focused on helping more students graduate from high school college and career ready. Before joining Gates, Kendall worked as a management and evaluation consultant to foundations of all sizes.

Kendall received her B.A. from Duke University and her Ph.D. from the Annenberg School of Communications at the University of Southern California.

About College Futures Foundation

College Futures Foundation operates on the beliefs that a vibrant future for California’s economy and communities requires more bachelor’s degrees, and that every student should have the chance to succeed in college. College Futures works to remove systemic and institutional barriers to college success, enabling students to access the knowledge, financial aid, and other resources they need to earn college degrees and choose their own futures. The foundation aims to chart a new course for student populations who are low-income and have had historically low college success rates by changing policies, practices, systems, and institutions in ways that better support students.