Dr. Kedra Ishop

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, and 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. As secretary of the organization, she 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. 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 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.