Virtual Town Hall: The First Weeks of the New Administration: Implications for Ed Prep

During his first days in office, President Trump signed 100 executive orders, including several that will impact schools and colleges.  A new Republican-controlled Congress is also working toward passing a major bill extending the tax cuts enacted in the first Trump Administration and enacting spending cuts to limit the impact of tax cuts on the deficit.  It is a lot to take in, and it can be difficult to understand the likely impact on educator preparation programs, their colleges and universities, and their K-12 partners.  During this webinar, AACTE’s partners at the Raben public policy firm will help you understand how actions in Washington may impact your program and its faculty, staff and students.  Come with your questions about immigration enforcement, anti-DEI and anti-LGBTQ+ initiatives, and federal tax and spending policy.

Moderator:

Jacqueline King, Ph.D.
Senior Consultant
AACTE

Jacqueline King, Ph.D. is an independent consultant who works with K-12 and higher education leaders to improve student outcomes. King has had a long career in education, including 15 years at the American Council on Education (ACE). She is the author or co-author of numerous reports, articles, and book chapters on college readiness, student financing of higher education, access and persistence in postsecondary education, student demographic trends, educator preparation, philanthropic giving to colleges and universities, and trends in the leadership of higher education. 

Speakers:

Michael Yudin
Principal
Raben

 After more than two decades of advocating for equitable opportunities for educationally disadvantaged children and youth within the federal government, Michael K. Yudin helps Raben’s clients navigate the educational terrain through his role as principal in the Government Affairs practice. Before joining Raben, Michael worked on behalf of the Obama administration at the U.S. Department of Education, serving in several capacities, including assistant secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative Services and as acting assistant secretary for Elementary and Secondary Education.

Sunil Mansukhani
Principal
Raben  

As a principal in Raben’s Government Affairs practice area, Sunil Mansukhani works at the intersection of people, policy, and process. For more than a decade at Raben, he has guided clients from all sectors — nonprofit, government, foundation, and corporate — to navigate the labyrinth that is Washington, D.C. His craft is informed by over two decades of experience in education and civil rights policy, law, and advocacy.

Sunil served in the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and the U.S. Department of Education (ED) in three administrations, serving presidents of both parties. Before joining Raben, he was the deputy assistant secretary for policy in ED’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) during President Obama’s first term. As part of OCR’s senior management team, Sunil helped lead an office with over 600 employees, a budget of $100 million, and 12 locations across the country.

Michael Torra
Managing Principal & Regional Lead
Raben

Michael Torra draws on a decade of experience in the political arena and more than 15 years as a public affairs consultant to help clients understand, navigate, and leverage the political and policymaking process, develop, and effectively articulate their public policy priorities, and anticipate the outlook for the issues they care about.

He worked on congressional campaigns in four southwestern states. He spent a decade on Capitol Hill working for various members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, including as chief of staff for Congresswoman Linda Sánchez (D-Calif.).