Nathaniel J. Bray is a Professor of Higher Education Administration and Associate Director of the Education Policy Center at The University of Alabama. He joined UA as an Assistant Professor in 2004, was promoted to Associate Professor in 2010, and to Professor in 2018. Prior to joining the faculty at UA, he was a Research Analyst conducting Institutional Research at Virginia Tech. Dr. Bray earned his Masters (MEd) and doctorate (PhD) at Vanderbilt University at the Peabody College of Education, working with such mentors as John Braxton, Terry Deal, Jeff Milem, Kassie Freeman, Berta Vigil Laden, and Alma Clayton Pedersen. His undergraduate degree was in Biology at Harvard University, where he graduated cum laude in General Studies.

Beth K. Thomas is the Program Assistant for the Education Policy Center. She joins the team at the University of Alabama with over 40 years of experience in the clinical laboratory field ranging from Medical Technology bench tech, director of a small clinical hospital, to management at the Children’s of Alabama Main Laboratory.

Originally from Cincinnati, Ohio and attending the University of Alabama since August of 2016 and a Graduate Research Associate with the Education Policy Center since August of 2019, Noel has had a major role in the analysis and visualization of higher education data. With a Bachelor of Science in Finance and Economics, a Master of Arts in Applied Economics, and currently studying Higher Education for his PhD, much of his studies have revolved around data analytics and policy and has applied this to his work at the EPC.

From Greenville, AL, Garrett has been at UA since 2017 and has since acquired his bachelor’s in political science, and Master of Public Administration, and is beginning his time in the Political Science doctoral program. At the EPC, Garrett’s roles include the Regional Economic Competitiveness Officer (RECO) for the DRIVE Coalition, managing the Black Belt series, writing, and editing among others.

Moses has been awarded the prestigious University of Alabama Graduate Council Fellowship for 2023-2024 to work with the Education Policy Center. He is working on a second doctorate here in Alabama. He has experience working as a School Facilitator for Universal Basic Education at the University of Ibadan, Nigeria, a Teaching and Research Fellow at the Beijing Normal University, China, a Research Fellow with MGIEP UNESCO, etc. Moses has also published over thirty research articles in related areas.

Henry Vlacovsky is an undergraduate research assistant at the Education Policy Center at the University of Alabama, where he is majoring in mathematics. He is also a student in the Randall Research Scholars Program and is originally from Concord, Massachusetts.