Lauren Asher, Public Member, is an independent consultant to equity-oriented foundations and nonprofits. A nationally recognized expert on college affordability and outcomes, she is the former president The Institute for College Access & Success (TICAS) and co-founder of its Project on Student Debt. At TICAS, she led successful efforts to simplify the financial aid application process, increase federal and California grant aid for low-income students, make federal student loan payments more manageable, and strengthen consumer protections for borrowers. Before TICAS, she served in senior positions at the Kaiser Family Foundation, National Partnership for Women & Families, and the U.S. Department of Labor’s Women’s Bureau, where she received a Hammer Award for Reinventing Government. Her nonprofit career began in California at Children Now.

In addition to role as a WSCUC commissioner, Lauren volunteers as a college access coach and serves on the Community Engagement Advisory Board for California’s Cradle-to-Career System and the Kids Impact Initiative advisory board. Lauren holds an MPA from Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government and a BA from Brown University.

Current Term

2023 – 2026