2025 Highlights - College Board Forum 2026

Higher education stands at a pivotal moment. As public trust declines, financial pressures mount, and technological innovation accelerates, colleges and universities must evolve to meet the needs of today’s learners and tomorrow’s workforce. This conversation, moderated by College Board CEO David Coleman, will explore how education leaders can move beyond traditional models to drive meaningful transformation — ensuring institutions remain relevant, resilient, and responsive in a rapidly changing world.

Lydia Logan, Vice President, Global Education and Workforce Development, Corporate Social Responsibility, IBM

Lydia Logan is the Vice President for Global Education and Workforce Development, CSR. She serves as the global lead for IBM’s education and workforce development initiatives. She is responsible for leading the strategy, development, and end-to-end execution of IBM's global education and workforce development initiatives including IBM SkillsBuild. Her portfolio also includes the development of new and innovative education initiatives and strategic global partnerships with IBM's clients, non-profit organizations, governments, and content and curriculum developers. She is an education expert with over 25 years of experience in education, non-profit organization management, policy, and philanthropy.

Aníbal Soler, Superintendent, Yonkers Public Schools

Aníbal Soler, Jr. is a dynamic and equity-driven leader with over two and a half decades of experience in urban education. Since his unanimous appointment as Superintendent of Yonkers Public Schools in May 2024, he has led with a clear focus on academic excellence, access, and consistency.

Committed to expanding opportunity, Mr. Soler has increased college readiness efforts at Yonkers Public Schools by adding more Advanced Placement courses district-wide. His career reflects a deep commitment to equity, having led transformative initiatives in Schenectady, Batavia, and Buffalo that improved access to services, elevated student achievement, and fostered inclusive learning environments.

Mr. Soler holds multiple advanced degrees and is currently pursuing a doctorate in Educational Leadership. He is a proud husband and father of four, dedicated to building a stronger, more equitable future for all Yonkers students.

Nancy Cantor, President, Hunter College

Nancy Cantor is President of Hunter College of the City University of New York. She is recognized nationally and internationally for emphasizing the role of universities as anchor institutions in their communities, especially by forging diverse, cross-sector collaboratives and leveraging publicly engaged scholarship to advance racial equity and equitable growth. A fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and member of the National Academy of Medicine, she previously led Rutgers University – Newark, Syracuse University and the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, and was provost at the University of Michigan, where she was closely involved in the defense of affirmative action in 2003 Supreme Court cases Grutter and Gratz.

A social psychologist, Cantor is recognized for her scholarly contributions to the understanding of how individuals perceive and think about their social worlds, pursue personal goals, and how they regulate their behavior to adapt to life's most challenging social environments. She is a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and a member of the National Academy of Medicine of the National Academies. She is a board member of the American Institutes for Research, co-chairs the Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration Steering Committee and the Anchor Institutions Task Force Advisory Council, and co-edits the book series Our Compelling Interests from Princeton University Press with Earl Lewis. She has received the Robert Zemsky Medal for Innovation in Higher Education; American Council on Education Reginald Wilson Diversity Leadership Award; Frank W. Hale, Jr. Diversity Leadership Award from the National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education; Anti-Defamation League Woman of Achievement Award; National Council for Research on Women Making a Difference for Women Award; and 2008 Carnegie Corporation Academic Leadership Award, one of higher education’s highest honors.

Falecia Williams, President, Prince George's Community College

Dr. Falecia D. Williams, with over 25 years of experience in higher education, serves as the ninth President of Prince George’s Community College (PGCC). Guided by the “Dare to be Extraordinary” ethos, she has led transformative initiatives, secured major funding, and forged key partnerships that advance student success, equity, and workforce development. Known for her students first approach, Dr. Williams brings a data-driven, student-centered vision to PGCC, positioning it as a premier institution for academic excellence and community impact. She holds degrees from Rollins College, Stetson University, and the University of Central Florida, with advanced certifications from Stanford and Harvard.

David Coleman, Chief Executive Officer, College Board

David joined the College Board in 2012. Over the past decade, he has led a comprehensive redesign of the SAT and the development of the first digital version of the exam; invested in a dramatic expansion of the Advanced Placement Program to reach more students of all backgrounds; and guided the College Board’s mission-driven response to the covid pandemic, helping millions of students remain on track during a time of unprecedented challenge for American education.

Before coming to the College Board, David was a co-founder of Student Achievement Partners, a national nonprofit devoted to raising standards of student achievement in math and literacy.

A native of New York City and a proud graduate of its public schools, David earned a degree from Yale University and attended the University of Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar. He is the father of two young children and a deep believer in the power of education to change lives for the better.

Join us for a powerful conversation between Dr. Kedra Ishop, Senior Vice President, Higher Education, Membership, and Access & Secretary of the Corporation at the College Board, and Dr. John B. King Jr., chancellor of the State University of New York and former U.S. secretary of education. Together, they will examine how bold leadership, steadfast commitment to opportunity, and partnership can transform education - expanding access through relevance, ensuring that learning aligns with students’ aspirations, and creating pathways that link education to college success, career readiness, and community impact.

John B. King Jr., Chancellor and Former U.S. Secretary of Education, State University of New York

John B. King Jr. served in President Barack Obama’s cabinet as the tenth U.S. Secretary of Education. Over the course of his extensive and influential career in public education, he has been a high school social studies teacher, a middle school principal, the first African American and Puerto Rican to serve as New York State Education Commissioner, a college professor, and the president and CEO of the Education Trust, a national education civil rights organization.

King is currently the chancellor of the State University of New York (SUNY), the nation’s largest comprehensive system of public higher education. Both of King’s parents were career New York City public school educators. He lives in Brooklyn, New York, with his wife, an education researcher and former teacher, and his two daughters.

Kedra Ishop, Senior Vice President, Higher Education, Membership, and Access, & Secretary of the Corporation, College Board

In this role, Kedra leads efforts that engage, support, deepen relationships with, and mobilize our members to broadly advance access and opportunity for students. Working with constituents across K−12 and higher education, she directs our work with our higher education partners. She and her higher education, financial aid, and membership teams ensure that College Board meets the needs of our diverse member institutions and the students they serve. She also oversees all matters relating to our governance structure and Board of Trustees.

Kedra has spent her entire career in higher education. She began her career in admissions at the University of Texas at Austin, concluding her service there as vice provost and director of admissions after 17 years. She left UT Austin to join the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, where she served as the school’s first vice provost for enrollment management. She joined College Board after serving at the University of Southern California as vice president for enrollment management for four years. Throughout her career, she has advanced a student-centered vision while overseeing offices of admission, financial aid, orientation and first year enrollment, marketing and communication, and registrar.

Kedra is a nationally recognized expert, speaker, and advisor on issues in higher education focused on issues of access and opportunity for low-income students and students of traditionally underrepresented backgrounds, recruitment and enrollment practices, legal and policy issues in admissions and enrollment, and assessment and curriculum development. She has served and serves on numerous boards and organizations that support student access, educational policy, and student success. She holds three degrees from the University of Texas at Austin: a BA in sociology, an MEd in higher education administration, and a PhD in educational administration. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and two sons.