James Kvaal

James Kvaal is vice president of the National Program at Carnegie Corporation of New York. He helps shape and execute Carnegie’s national strategy to strengthen education and democracy in the United States. Kvaal served as the under secretary of education for the U.S. Department of Education from 2021 until 2025. As the department’s third-ranking official, he led a team of 1,700 people working on higher education, student financial aid, and career education. Kvaal championed investments in colleges and universities that expand opportunity and promote upward mobility, and he oversaw reforms to student loan administration that helped more than 5 million eligible borrowers receive loan forgiveness. Kvaal has worked on the White House economics and domestic policy staff, including serving as deputy domestic policy adviser (2013–2016). Kvaal was also president of the Institute for College Access & Success, a nonprofit dedicated to advancing affordability and equity in higher education. Kvaal taught at the University of Michigan’s Ford School of Public Policy and graduated with honors from Stanford University and Harvard Law School.