Gloria Mwase, Ph.D

Senior Vice President, Research, Impact, Innovation, and Learning

Gloria Mwase joined CAEL in 2022 and has extensive experience in leading projects focused on postsecondary education and workforce development that advance adult learners into meaningful employment. Additionally, Mwase has worked with employers in developing sector-based industry-partnerships to advance a competitive workforce. A key emphasis of her experience focuses on measuring impact through research and evaluation, including roles as principal investigator on research. Mwase also works across all areas of CAEL to elevate the organization’s current innovations and helps to develop new approaches, products, and services that can help us continue to advance our mission.

Dr. Mwase has developed partnerships at multiple levels, generating resources to support program goals. Recent work includes a scan for the Annie E. Casey Foundation to explore efforts underway in nine communities in the South and Southwest to increase postsecondary access, persistence, and completion. She also supported the development of postsecondary education pathways across all 15 community colleges in Mississippi that link adult learners to secondary and postsecondary credentials with strong labor market value. Mwase previously served in roles at the Mississippi Community College Board, Jobs for the Future, and the Annie E. Casey Foundation. She also has taught at Cambridge College and the University of Massachusetts Boston.

Mwase holds a bachelor’s degree in economics (accounting emphasis) from Tougaloo College, and she earned her  master’s and doctoral degrees in public policy from the University of Massachusetts Boston. She is also a Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) Certified Professional.