HCM Welcomes Brenae Smith as 2023 Postsecondary Policy Fellow
HCM is thrilled to welcome to our team our newest postsecondary policy fellow: Brenae Smith!
Brenae Smith began her career in student affairs at her alma mater, the University of Michigan, where she enjoyed supporting and working directly with students, serving in roles across program coordination and advising. Looking to further her education and experience in the higher education space, Brenae pursued a master’s degree in higher education. During her graduate program, she served as the program coordinator for the Graduate School Mentoring Initiative at the University of Pennsylvania. “I found my work for this program to be really rewarding and fulfilling as I was able to facilitate workshops and provide mentorship and resources to first-generation and low-income students as they navigated applying to graduate/professional school,” said Brenae. “My graduate school coursework was centered on topics like college access, affordability, and public policy in higher education [and] this sparked my interest in working to advance policies that improve access to higher education and student outcomes, especially for students who have been historically underserved.”
Currently, Brenae is splitting her time between working as a Data Project Manager at the University of Michigan’s Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR) and her fellowship here at HCM Strategists. “I hope to continue an equity-focused career, which is what drew me to HCM. I am excited to learn and collaborate with a team of experts that are committed to driving change and creating more equitable education systems,” said Brenae.
Brenae will work with HCM’s postsecondary policy team on issues and projects ranging from state budget proposals to strategies for enrollment, retention, and completion outcomes for low-income students.
Fun Facts About Brenae:
She is a Michigan native and now lives in Georgia
Penn GSE Alum
Enjoys trying new restaurants, traveling, and playing with her dog-niece, Leia
Welcome to the HCM team, Brenae!
About the HCM Strategists Fellowship Program
The HCM Strategists fellowship program offers a unique opportunity for professional growth and learning with opportunities in both our postsecondary and K-12 education policy practices.
Our fellowship program is open to collaborative, organized problem-solvers who have a strong interest in education policy and are passionate about improving education for all students through communications and advocacy. Our fellows are enthusiastic, innovative and strategic thinkers with excellent verbal and written communications skills, and have a strong commitment to our clients and our work in the policy field. Our fellows play an important role in supporting leaders across our education team, specifically in the areas of school finance, accountability and reporting systems, advancing civics and STEM opportunities for all students, and other areas of education policy.
HCM Strategists is an impact-driven consulting firm that believes in the transformative power of education and work-based learning to improve social and economic mobility for communities that have been marginalized or historically underserved. Our work delivers a consequential impact on the national narrative, policy options and leaders responsible for change.
