Background:
Nick Lee is a senior partner at Bellwether and leads the organization’s work on higher education and career-connected learning.
Prior to joining Bellwether, Nick held various roles in the federal government in the U.S. Department of Education and the White House Office of Management and Budget, focusing on postsecondary policy issues across three different administrations (Presidents George W. Bush, Barack Obama, and Joe Biden). Most recently, he served as the deputy assistant secretary for higher education in the Department’s Office of Planning, Evaluation, and Policy Development, where he was responsible for the agency’s development of budget and policy proposals on federal student aid and higher-education programs governing more than $200 billion in annual spending supporting over 15 million postsecondary students nationwide. He also spent nearly a decade at the Gates Foundation leading grantmaking efforts to support organizations reimagining the design and distribution of public K-12 and higher-education funding to enable equitable outcomes, particularly for systemically marginalized students.
Nick holds a master’s degree in public administration from George Washington University and a bachelor’s degree from Boston University.
Why I do this work:
As a child of immigrants who made great sacrifices to bring their budding family to this land of opportunity and help them realize its potential, I have always felt a responsibility to do everything in my power to smooth that path for others. I believe education is the most direct connection between that promise and its fulfillment. Doing this work is the natural marriage of my values and the clearest path to impact.
