Dr. Kristi Wellington Baker serves as the AWS Higher Education strategy lead focused on engaging higher education leaders in critical conversations about their vision, strategic priorities, and how they can  develop and execute strategies to meet their goals. She works with higher education executive leaders across the country to clarify challenges and opportunities impacting those goals, and identify ways to deepen student and community engagement, increase equitable access to relevant learning pathways and experiences, and remove friction from administrative processes that disproportionately impacts underserved communities.

Kristi began her higher education experience twenty years ago and served in various leadership roles in student services,  and state and federal policy advocacy throughout her career. Her experience on campus included leadership of equity in access, persistence, and completion efforts resulting in significantly improved outcomes recognized by the Aspen Institute and Community College Research Center, and scaling strategic initiatives including Guided Pathways across the thirty-four Washington state community college system. 

In addition to her campus experience, Dr. Wellington-Baker completed the Aspen Institute Presidential Fellowship, authored research focused on equity in transfer, and consulted on issues of equitable outcomes across 2- and 4-year higher education institutions.  Prior to moving to AWS, she served as the Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges Director of Student Success and Strategic Initiatives, building a coalition to secure the largest legislative investment in community and technical colleges in the history of the state.