Wesley Whistle is the project director for student success and affordability in the Higher Education initiative at New America. He works to advance New America's strategy on student success and affordability, including researching and advocating for policies and evidence-based policies to improve student outcomes, strengthen accountability, and lower the cost of college.
Prior to rejoining New America, Whistle was a policy advisor in the Office of the Under Secretary at the U.S. Department of Education, where he worked on regulations, enforcement actions, budget proposals, and more covering a range of higher education issues. He previously served as the education advisor to U.S. Senator Bob Casey. Before moving to DC, Whistle was a higher education administrator at colleges and universities in Kentucky, working on accreditation, federal and state reporting, and assessment.
Whistle earned his master’s degree in public administration, with a concentration in education policy, from the University of Kentucky and his bachelor’s degree in political science from Kentucky Wesleyan College. He is currently a PhD candidate in higher education at the University of Kentucky. His experience as a Pell Grant recipient and first-generation college graduate informs his work every day.