Kristen Soares

President

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Kristen Soares is the fourth president of the Association of Independent California Colleges and Universities. As president, Soares works in partnership with leaders around the state to shape policy for California’s independent colleges and universities. Soares serves as the chief spokesperson for the Independent California College and University sector, comprised of over 80 California independent, nonprofit institutions, all dedicated to the public good. Under her leadership, to advance new policy initiatives to address the needs of today’s students, the association adopted an agreement with the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office to adopt the Associate Degree for Transfer pathway, a groundbreaking program to improve community college transfer for students.

Soares serves on several boards including: the California Education Round Table; the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities (NAICU) State Executives Council; the NAICU committee on Student Aid Policy; the California Museum; the Better Together California Teacher Summit Steering Committee; and the Public Policy Institute of California Higher Education Center. Additionally, she chairs the California Intersegmental Coordinating Council.

Soares has extensive background in higher education, policy, administration, and governmental advocacy. Before coming to AICCU, Soares spent nearly 25 years at the University of Southern California (USC). She served as the senior associate vice president for government relations and civic engagement, where she provided strategic direction and leadership for USC’s government and community relations offices in Los Angeles, Sacramento, and Washington, D.C.

Soares is a graduate of the University of Southern California, where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Public Administration.

Amber Gonzalez

Operations Assistant

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Amber Gonzalez joined AICCU in April 2014. As the operations assistant, Gonzalez aids the President and Director of Membership Services & Strategic Initiatives.

Additionally, Gonzalez is the lead on the AICCU Annual Meeting and is the liaison for AICCU Executive Committee. Before finding her home with AICCU, she provided administrative support to Environment California and Fund for the Public Interest.

Alex Graves

Vice President for Government Relations

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Alex Graves joined AICCU in January 2019. As vice president for government relations, he is the chief lobbyist and is responsible for legislative advocacy and public policy leadership in support of independent higher education. Graves serves as the liaison between AICCU and the Governor’s Office, the California Legislature, California Student Aid Commission, and other public bodies.

Prior to joining AICCU, he worked as the legislative advocate at the California State University Office of Advocacy & State Relations, where he staffed legislation pertaining to admissions, financial aid, K-12 and teacher preparation, student basic needs, and transfer. He has also worked as a legislative assistant at the Alzheimer’s Association, and as a graduate research assistant at the Institute for Higher Education Leadership and Policy. In 2016-17 he completed the California Education Policy Fellowship Program, a year-long program designed to help equip education leaders address the state’s unique education policy needs.

Graves received his Bachelor of Arts in Politics from Occidental College and his Master’s of Public Policy & Administration from Sacramento State University. For the past ten years, he has volunteered with Occidental as part of their Volunteers in Service of Tiger Admission (ViSTA) program. He has also volunteered locally with the YMCA, Big Brothers Big Sisters, and the Junior Giants Baseball Program.

Danyelle Okamoto

Director of Membership Services & Strategic Initiatives

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Danyelle Okamoto joined AICCU in July 2009. As director of membership services and strategic initiatives, she is responsible for recruitment and retention activities, member services, and business partner engagement. She develops and markets new partnerships and programs with businesses directly or through the Foundation for California Community Colleges and The Coalition for College Cost Savings.

Okamoto works with national and state associations and agencies that include, but are not limited to, the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities State Executives (NAICUSE), and the California ICC Transfer Days/College Nights Subcommittee. Prior to her role as director of membership services and strategic initiatives, she has served as the director of communications and strategic initiatives where she was responsible for the development, management, and implementation of AICCU’s marketing, branding, and social media strategy. She has also served as the director of research & publications, where she was responsible for data collection and analysis of member colleges and universities, developing formats and data for use in publications, advocacy efforts, media, and testimony.

Okamoto earned her Bachelor of Arts in History from the University of the Pacific and a Master of Science in Higher Education Administration from Drexel University. She has also been a volunteer with the American Cancer Society's Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Sacramento and a prior member of the Junior League of Sacramento.

Pamela Ong

Director of Data and Research

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Pamela Ong joined AICCU in June 2021 and serves as the Director of Data and Research. In this role, she oversees data collection, analysis, and reporting to support AICCU’s policy and advocacy efforts. Her work focuses on incorporating data to inform decision-making, making the contributions of the AICCU sector more accessible, and advocating for policies that benefit students and institutions at both the state and federal levels.

With extensive experience in postsecondary education, particularly within the independent sector, Ong has held various operational roles in higher education, including institutional research, financial aid, and planning. She has a deep understanding of institutional, state, and federal policies and the critical role data plays in advancing institutional effectiveness and student success.

In addition to her role at AICCU, Ong serves on the California Association for Institutional Research (CAIR) Board of Directors and the State National Information Network (SNIN) Advisory Committee, both since 2024.

Ong holds a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from the University of California, Davis, and a Master’s Degree in Experimental Psychology from San Jose State University.

Sharlene Phou

Communications Associate

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Sharlene Phou joined AICCU in November 2022. As the Communications Associate, she is responsible for the development, management, and outreach efforts that advance the advocacy goals of AICCU. She serves as the main contact for media professionals, coordinating with them to provide press releases, newsletters and story ideas.

Phou comes from a news background and has written for local media outlets including The State Hornet, Sactown Magazine and CBS13 Sacramento. She has reported on a variety of events ranging from local festivals and restaurant openings to harder hitting topics such as crime and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Phou graduated from Sacramento State University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism and a minor in Communications.

Thomas Vu

Vice President for Policy

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Thomas Vu joined AICCU in January 2014. As vice president for policy, he develops and manages the execution of AICCU’s agenda on state and federal policy. This includes outreach and engagement responsibilities with federal and state policymakers; providing original policy development; and cultivating and managing the internal and external stakeholders required for successful policy development and implementation. Vu leads AICCU’s federal advocacy—engaging with Congress, the U.S. Department of Education, and national higher education associations—and manages the association’s communications efforts. He also represents the independent higher education sector on the governing board of the Cradle-to-Career Data System Office, staffs the AICCU Education Deans and Directors Council, and liaises with the state’s Commission on Teacher Credentialing and the Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education.

Vu’s career has been spent in government relations and public policy. Prior to joining AICCU, he worked at the California Chamber of Commerce as a policy advocate with a portfolio that included transportation and infrastructure, workers’ compensation, and international relations and trade. Vu was the legislative director for the California Special Districts Association, where he lobbied on local government-related legislation. He also has policy experience in healthcare, land use, and economic development.

Vu graduated from UC San Diego with Bachelor of Arts degrees in Political Science and Economics, and a minor in Literature and has a Master of Public Administration degree from the University of Southern California. He is currently working toward a Ph.D. in Public Administration and Policy from Old Dominion University, in Norfolk, VA.