HCM Welcomes Jaden Mikoulinskii as a 2025 Policy Fellow
Jaden Joins HCM’s Policy Team as a 2025 Winter Fellow
Welcome to HCM, Jaden!
Jaden is a doctoral student at the University of Georgia’s Louise McBee Institute of Higher Education, where she studies the intersection of economics and policy. Her research focuses on the impact of public policy on state higher education finance, including appropriations, budget models, and the allocation of tax revenue. She also studies institutional operational viability, mergers and consolidations, public opinion and political efficacy, state enrollment policies, and college choice. Jaden’s recent experiences in the higher education policy space have included the University System of Georgia’s Division of Research and Policy Analysis, the Congressional Research Service, and The Century Foundation, building a strong foundation of legislative processes, research, and data analysis.
Jaden holds a master’s degree in Higher Education Policy from the University of Maryland, College Park, and a bachelor’s degree in Sociology from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. Prior to her doctoral coursework, she held research and policy roles with the Institute for Higher Education Policy, the Maryland Higher Education Commission, the White House Office of Management and Budget, the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Postsecondary Education, the Brookings Institution, and the Kamala Harris for President campaign.
Beyond her work, Jaden loves spending time outdoors with her puppy, Rainey (Rainier). She is a fan of both the Seattle Seahawks and the Green Bay Packers. She is a lover of all things outdoor recreation, including biking, hiking, soccer, and going to local music venues to support up-and-coming musicians. Jaden loves to challenge herself by developing new skills, with a recent focus on cooking and Spanish.
Jaden was drawn to this fellowship because of the strong alignment between her interests and HCM’s portfolio, particularly the firm’s work in funding reform, budget models, state and organizational policy agendas, strategic planning, addressing public skepticism about the economic value of higher education, workforce policies, and middle-skill pathways for rural students.
We’re excited to welcome Jaden to the team and look forward to the insights and expertise she’ll bring to our client initiatives as we work together to drive meaningful impact in postsecondary education.
About the HCM Strategists Fellowship Program
The HCM Strategists fellowship program offers a unique opportunity for professional growth and learning by granting first-hand experience in education public policy.
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 state and federal funding, strategic finance and accountability, reporting systems and data transparency, workforce development and career-competitive learning initiatives, advancing access and opportunity for all students, and other areas of higher 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.
