News Release
December 01, 2004
Lumina Foundation announces appointment of senior research director
INDIANAPOLIS — Lumina Foundation for Education announced today the appointment of Dewayne Matthews, Ph. D., as senior research director effective Jan. 5, 2005. Matthews will lead the Foundation's research on student access and success in postsecondary education.Matthews' background blends experience in higher education and research, according to Martha D. Lamkin, Lumina Foundation's president and CEO.
"Dewayne's experience and leadership will be a real plus for us," said Lamkin. "We're particularly pleased to add his deep expertise in higher education research, policy and practice - key elements in improved student outcomes."
Most recently, Matthews served as senior adviser to the President and Vice President of State Services for the Education Commission of the States (ECS). In that capacity Matthews helped to shape and implement effective policy strategies for numerous governors, legislators and other state education leaders.
Previously, Matthews served in a variety of higher education leadership roles, including director of programs and services for the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE), research associate for the National Center for Postsecondary Governance and Finance, and the executive director of the New Mexico Commission on Higher Education. He has been a teacher, administrator and university trustee, starting his career as a first-grade teacher in Taos, N.M. He served on the faculty of universities in Mexico and New Mexico and as a trustee at two universities: Teikyo Post University in Waterbury, Conn., and Marycrest International University in Davenport, Iowa.
Matthews serves on the board of the San Felipe Humanitarian Alliance Foundation and the Education Policy Analysis Archives at Arizona State University.
Matthews is a graduate of the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque and earned a master's degree in bilingual education at New Mexico Highlands University in Las Vegas, N.M. He earned a doctorate in educational leadership and policy studies at Arizona State University in Tempe and received an honorary doctor of humane letters from Marycrest International University in Davenport, Iowa.
Lumina Foundation for Education, an Indianapolis-based, private, independent foundation, strives to help people achieve their potential by expanding access and success in education beyond high school. Through grants for research, innovation, communication, and evaluation, as well as policy education and leadership development, Lumina Foundation addresses issues that affect access and educational attainment among all students, particularly underserved student groups, including adult learners. The Foundation bases its mission on the belief that postsecondary education remains one of the most beneficial investments that individuals can make in themselves and that society can make in its people.
For more information, contact Dollyne Sherman, director of communication, at 317.951.5493.
