A native of Manchester, Conn., Merisotis talks candidly about his own modest family background as one of four sons to working class parents of Greek origin. He credits his parents for instilling in him the desire and belief in higher education as an avenue for life success. With scholarships, Pell Grant funds, loans and part-time work as the basis of his college finances, Merisotis earned a bachelor’s from Bates College in Maine, and he gravitated to Washington where he found work as a policy researcher.
“I began my career somewhat by happenstance as a policy researcher at the College Board. I knew I wanted to work in the policy context after I graduated from college,” Merisotis says. “In that initial work at the College Board, I came to realize how powerful an effective higher education has not only on individuals but on us as a society … . I really committed myself very early out to this idea that increasing access to success really matters,” he adds.
Although he had not thought about leaving IHEP, which now has 20 employees and an annual budget of $5 million, Merisotis says the Lumina Foundation presidency offers intriguing possibilities.
“We’re very much on the front end of thinking how we can contribute to really innovative, out-ofthe- box new ideas, particularly policy ideas, that might help accelerate progress on increasing college access,” he says.
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