HCM Welcomes Sukai Kato-Hopkins as a 2026 Policy Fellow
Sukai Joins HCM’s Policy Team as a 2026 Winter/Spring Fellow
Welcome to HCM, Sukai!
Sukai (pronounced "sky") is a research associate at the Education Insights Center, a research center at Sacramento State University that provides research, evaluation and professional learning services that inform and advance antiracist approaches to policymaking and practice. Her current work involves a statewide evaluation of the Institutional Effectiveness Division of the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office. Outside of her work at EdInsights, Sukai has also held positions at the Campaign for College Opportunity, the RP Group, and Cerritos College.
A two-time UCLA Bruin, Sukai holds a master’s degree in education from UCLA’s Higher Education and Organizational Change (HEOC) program and a bachelor’s degree in applied linguistics. During her time at UCLA, Sukai gained valuable experience in admissions, retention programming, and student advising. Her research as a graduate student focused on refining demographic data collection and following young adults’ identity development during their undergraduate years.
Originally from a rural town in Nara, Japan, Sukai is a product of the Japanese K-12 education system and enjoys learning about innovative educational practices happening across the globe. While much of her day-to-day work involves data collection and analysis, she finds the most joy in the outward-facing work of building strong relationships with her colleagues and partners. She is excited to join HCM Strategists as a fellow this spring to gain experience working in new geographical and demographic contexts across the country.
Outside of her work, Sukai enjoys finding new ways to step away from the screen and unplug. Whether it’s exploring a new farmer’s market, going to the gym, or tackling a new craft, Sukai is an expert at finding ways to relax, even with limited time. Her craft goal for this year is to sew her very first quilt.
We’re excited to welcome Sukai 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.
