Bob Shireman
Public-Interest Higher Education Policy Consultant
About Bob Shireman:
Robert Shireman is a nationally recognized expert in higher education policy, college affordability, and consumer protection, with more than three decades of leadership across government, philanthropy, and nonprofit research. He is currently an independent consultant.
Shireman serves on several prominent public bodies, including as a member of the National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity (NACIQI), appointed by then–Speaker Nancy Pelosi, where he advises the U.S. Secretary of Education on accreditation policy. He is also a Commissioner with the Western Interstate Commission on Higher Education (WICHE), appointed by California Governor Gavin Newsom, collaborating with leaders across western states on higher education strategy, governance, and interstate policy coordination.
Previously, Shireman was a Senior Fellow at The Century Foundation, where he led a research and policy development team focused on college accountability, the design of financial aid programs, and college quality, including support for HBCUs. Earlier, he served as Deputy Undersecretary at the U.S. Department of Education during the Obama administration, with primary responsibility for federal student aid and major postsecondary and workforce programs. In that role, he helped engineer a simplification of the FAFSA (linking the application to IRS tax data for the first time), strengthened Pell Grants through savings from student loan reform, and advanced consumer protections against predatory for-profit colleges.
Shireman is the founder and former president of The Institute for College Access & Success (TICAS), where he led influential work on student debt and helped shape federal policies such as Income-Based Repayment. His earlier career includes senior roles at the White House National Economic Council, the James Irvine Foundation, California Competes, the Aspen Institute, and on Capitol Hill as Legislative Director and education advisor to U.S. Senator Paul Simon.
He holds a master’s degree in education from Harvard University, a master’s degree in public administration from the University of San Francisco, and a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of California, Berkeley. An author and frequent speaker, Shireman is known for translating complex policy issues into practical reforms that advance access, accountability, and student success.
Substack: https://substack.com/@bobshireman714146?
