Stephanie Murphy, Ph.D.

DIRECTOR OF STATE POLICY AND RESEARCH 

Stephanie Murphy is HCM’s director of postsecondary state policy and research. Her passion for education policy reform stems from her personal experiences as a first-generation college student from a low-income, immigrant household who directly experienced many of the adversities that underserved populations face throughout the education continuum. Through her various experiences, Stephanie has come to understand the power that advocacy has to affect policy reform. 

Stephanie brings more than 10 years of experience conducting policy research, building and managing external relationships, and developing state-level higher education policy across 11 U.S. states. Prior to joining HCM, she served as director of postsecondary education policy at the Commit Partnership in Austin, Texas, where she was responsible for leading Commit’s policy research and analysis agenda, as well as its state government relations strategy, specifically with an eye to driving systematic change, economic mobility, and student success. 

Stephanie is an alum of the University of North Texas, where she earned a bachelor’s in English and a master’s in political science. In 2020, she received her Ph.D. in political science from the University of Toronto. 

A Texas native, Stephanie currently lives in Tempe, Arizona with her partner Evan. In her free time, she enjoys a good Netflix binge but can also be found reading a classic novel, exploring one of Arizona’s many scenic hiking trails, or making a mess of her kitchen while trying out a new recipe.

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