Dr. Stefanie Sanford works at the intersection of civic renewal, education, and cross-partisan leadership. She is President of Civic Ventures at Alithi Consulting and Humanitae Philanthropy Advisors and Senior Advisor to the National Constitution Center. She advises leaders and institutions on education, civic renewal, cross-partisan leadership, and building effective partnerships across difference.

Her career spans senior roles in government, philanthropy, and the nonprofit sector. She previously served as Chief of Global Policy and External Relations for the College Board and President of the College Board Foundation and led U.S. Program Advocacy at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Earlier, she worked in both Republican and Democratic administrations in Texas, advising the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Speaker of the House, and Attorney General. She was also a White House Fellow, serving in the White House Office of Cabinet Affairs.

Dr. Sanford currently chairs the Board of Trustees of the Institute for Citizens & Scholars, which works with more than 130 diverse university presidents to prepare students for effective civic participation in a complex and divided era. She is Vice Chair of America’s Promise Alliance, a trustee of the Thomas B. Fordham Foundation, and a founding board member of Planet Word, the Museum of Language.

She has held fellowships at the SNF Agora Institute at Johns Hopkins University, the German Marshall Fund, and the Aspen Institute.

A frequent speaker, moderator, and writer, her work explores how institutions can rebuild trust and enable pluralism in practice. She is the author of Civic Life in the Information Age: Politics, Technology and Generation X.

She holds degrees from Texas Christian University, the Harvard Kennedy School, and the University of Texas.