Alexia Everett is currently on assignment as a Strategy Advisor within the Office of Planning, Evaluation, and Policy Development at the U.S. Department of Education working to elevate and address the educational needs of highly mobile students, including those experiencing foster care, homelessness, and juvenile justice. During her assignment, she has supported the implementation of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act which has invested over $600 Million in grant funding to improve the mental health and wellbeing of students and educators and expand pathways for school-based mental health professionals. On behalf of ED, Alexia has also worked with CMS to prevent over 40 Million children and youth enrolled in Medicaid from losing their health coverage and to encourage states to expand their Medicaid school-based services for all Medicaid-enrolled students. Prior to join ED, Alexia was a Senior Program Officer at the Stuart Foundation partnering closely with education professionals and beneficiaries in California and Washington to advance the Foundation's efforts to advance a well-rounded education for all – especially adolescents who are furthest from opportunity. Before joining the Foundation in 2012, Alexia served as Senior Policy Officer for the College Success Foundation in Washington State. In this role, she worked with K-12, postsecondary and workforce policymakers, practitioners, youth and young adults to support policy advocacy and implementation focused on historically marginalized students. Alexia’s love of student-centered education models developed while she was earning her Bachelor of Liberal Arts degree from Goddard College in Plainfield, Vermont. Alexia earned a Masters of Management and Leadership with an emphasis on Systems Thinking in Learning Organizations from Western Governors University (WGU). She selected both Goddard and WGU because of their commitment to breaking down barriers that artificially separate school from real life through the use of innovative business models coupled with holistic pedagogy.