
Wayne Taliaferro is a strategy director for student success at Lumina Foundation, an independent, private foundation in Indianapolis that is committed to making opportunities for learning beyond high school available to all. In that role, he leads a grantmaking portfolio focused on enhancing student success at community colleges. He previously supported a portfolio focused on affordability.
Prior to joining Lumina, Wayne worked as a senior policy analyst at the Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP). While at CLASP, he helped drive policy advocacy on issues of postsecondary affordability and economic opportunity.
Prior to working at CLASP, he worked as a research analyst in the University of Maryland’s Office of Institutional Research, where his work informed enrollment, budget, and planning decisions at the college, as well as reporting and special projects for institutional and systemwide audiences. He also served as a data consultant for Collegiate Directions, Inc.
Earlier in his career, he worked in K-12 education as a coordinator and analyst at D.C. Public Schools, and as a graduate intern in the Office of Research, Planning, and Accountability at Providence Public Schools.
Wayne holds a bachelor’s degree from Morehouse College and a master’s in urban education policy from Brown University.