The Rant Podcast

A bi-weekly podcast focused on pulling back the curtain on the American higher education system and breaking down the people, the policies and the politics. The podcast host, Eloy Ortiz Oakley, is a known innovator and leader in higher education. The podcast will not pull any punches as it delves into tough questions about the culture, politics and policies of our higher education system.

Contributors

Host

Eloy Ortiz Oakley

Eloy Ortiz Oakley is a well know higher education leader and advisor. He has led several influential organization including College Futures Foundation, the California Community Colleges and Long Beach City College. in 2020 he served as a Senior Advisor to US Secretary of Education, Miguel Cardona. He has served on the boards of the University of California Board of Regents, MDRC, The CalChamber, Alliant International University and the University of California, Irvine Board of Trustees. He serves as an advisor to several ed tech companies such as Guild Education, OpenClassrooms, Handshake and Certree. He rants frequently throughout the country on topics such as the future of work, post-secondary systems, equity in higher education and about the failures of the American higher education system.

Guests

Guest

Michael Itzkowitz

With over 15 years of experience in federal education policy, Michael Itzkowitz has held senior roles inside and outside of government. His work and expertise is often cited by national news outlets, including the New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and NBC.

Prior to beginning the HEA Group, Michael worked as a Presidential Appointee in the Obama Administration at the U.S. Department of Education, where he was the Director of the Administration's College Scorecard—the largest release of higher education data ever by the Federal government. He also served as the Deputy Chief of Staff in the Office of Postsecondary Education, where he helped oversee the policy and administrative functions of the office, including over 180 employees across three divisions that disburse approximately $2.5 billion in grants and establish policy for nearly $120 billion in Federal student aid every year.