Veteran Nonprofit Leader, Education Equity Advocate Joins Fast-Growing Organization Closing College Access Gap

Matriculate taps former College Possible executive Craig Robinson as founding president; expands team to accelerate unique model of near-peer advising and coaching

NEW YORK, Dec. 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Matriculate, a national nonprofit that empowers high-achieving students from low-income communities to attend colleges where they will thrive, today announced the appointment of Craig Robinson as founding President. A passionate advocate for equity and access at the intersection of K-12 and higher education, Robinson most recently served as president of the national nonprofit College Possible.

"College is the most powerful pathway to economic opportunity, but too many talented students in low-income communities don't even apply to the institutions that are proven pathways to success for them and their families," said Madeline Kerner, CEO and Co-Founder of Matriculate. "Craig's visionary leadership and deep expertise will accelerate our work to ensure that high-achieving students nationwide have the resources to pursue and succeed in higher education."

Robinson brings more than two decades of leadership experience in education and nonprofit management to his new role at Matriculate. In addition to leading College Possible, he has also served as the chief program officer at College Advising Corps and vice president of programs at A Better Chance. For nearly a decade, he was the national director of KIPP Through College (now KIPP Forward), which has helped 20,000 high school graduates navigate the academic, social, and financial challenges of applying to and attending college.

"What makes Matriculate's model unique is that it is designed to unlock the power of near-peer advising, which is too often unavailable for students in historically underserved communities," said Robinson. "As I continue to build upon a career focused on helping more students realize the transformative potential of college, I'm honored and excited to help Matriculate build on nearly a decade of learning and research — and realize our potential to make a positive impact for thousands of students across the country."

Matriculate's model is rooted in a body of research finding that while students from under-resourced communities see significant economic benefits from attending selective colleges, they are much less likely than their wealthier peers to enroll in those colleges, despite the fact that many have the academic qualifications to succeed. Founded in 2014, the organization matches high-achieving high school students in low-income communities with trained undergraduate student advisors at the country's top colleges and universities to provide hands-on, personalized coaching throughout the application and enrollment process. Matriculate, which has served 11,000 students to date, is also welcoming new team members to support with college and employer partnerships, internal operations, and advising support.

About Matriculate
Matriculate is a national nonprofit working to ensure the nation's talented, diverse, and low-income students attend colleges where they will thrive. Using technology, Matriculate connects high-achieving, low-income high school students with highly trained virtual undergraduate advisors from top colleges. This year, nearly 2,000 diverse and committed undergraduates are training for over 40 hours to support 6,000+ high school students from across the country. By building a community of young people empowering one another, Matriculate generates economic opportunity and social mobility for our future leaders in towns and cities from coast to coast.

SOURCE Matriculate