Education Design Lab welcomes innovative ‘giants’ to its board

Wally Boston and Mordecai Brownlee join the board to support the Lab’s mission to innovate more skills-based paths to economic mobility.

Oct. 15, 2025 – WASHINGTON, D.C. – Education Design Lab, a national nonprofit helping colleges and employers design education toward the future of work, announces two new members who have joined its board of directors:

Dr. Mordecai Ian Brownlee, President of Community College of Aurora, Colo.

Dr. Mordecai Ian Brownlee is president of the Community College of Aurora (CCA) in Colorado, which joined the Lab’s Community College Growth Engine in 2022. He previously worked at several public and private higher education institutions, including St. Philip’s College in Texas, the University of Charleston in West Virginia, Blinn College District in Texas, and Houston Baptist University. Brownlee publishes frequently, including in the Community College Daily (published by the American Association of Community Colleges), and he previously served as a columnist for EdSurge, where he wrote about partnering with the Lab to design five behavioral health micro-credential pathways. Brownlee has written over 50 articles on topics involving educational technology, workforce development, and the future of higher education.

Dr. Wallace E. Boston, co-founder, Green Street Impact Partners, and President Emeritus, American Public University System

Dr. Wally Boston has spent more than two decades guiding universities, colleges, and students toward success. In 2022, Boston co-founded Green Street Impact Partners, a private equity fund, investing in edtech startups that can positively impact learners. Boston was appointed President Emeritus of the American Public University System (APUS) after serving as President and CEO for more than 16 years. He is a former member of the National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity (NACIQI), which advises the Department of Education’s Secretary on accreditation.

“This expansion of our board will add important leadership perspectives from current and former college presidents who are shaping the future of higher education to serve the needs of New Majority Learners,” said Kathleen deLaski, the Lab’s founder and board chair. “Mordecai leads some of the Lab’s most impactful micro-pathway work statewide in Colorado, navigating employer engagement, leveraging critical partnerships, and ensuring state regulatory alignment resulting in Community College of Aurora being the lead institution in the system’s five behavioral health pathways. Wally built American Public University System into the largest university serving military learners, and he now is backing startups that support new learning technologies. We are privileged to have these giants in the field bringing their wisdom to this exciting moment for the Lab.”

Dr. Mordecai Ian Brownlee: “It is a profound honor to join the board of directors of Education Design Lab. At a time when America must move with urgency to produce a viable, future-ready workforce, the Lab represents a proven solution — linking innovation, industry demand, and upward economic mobility. I am proud to serve alongside this incredible team, helping to ensure that learners, communities, and industries across our nation thrive.”

Dr. Wallace E. Boston: “I am pleased to join the board of Education Design Lab. As concerns continue about the costs and relevance of traditional college programs, I enthusiastically support the Lab’s focus on innovative solutions that integrate the needs of workers, employers, and communities as well as improve the economic outcomes for all.”

Boston and Brownlee expand the Lab’s distinguished board, whose members include:
Kathleen deLaski, Chair
Kris Clerkin, Vice Chair
Sofia Lopez Nunez, Treasurer
Rufus Glasper
Suzanne Gibbs Howard
Peter Janzow
Lou Pugliese
Yvette Vargas

Education Design Lab (the Lab) is a national nonprofit and intermediary with a mission to co-design an inclusive, skills-based learn+work system that facilitates upward economic mobility and closes opportunity gaps for the New Majority Learner-Earner. Since 2013, the Lab has worked on the ground with over 1,200 colleges + organizations, 1,000 employers, and thousands of learners, who need education programs and pathways that better serve their futures.

The Costs Students Don’t See Coming—and Why They Matter

Mordecai Ian Brownlee, President of the Community College of Aurora in Colorado, is walking 71 miles over three days next month to raise awareness of his own college's emergency fund—specifically, to get community members to match a $71,000 donation. The fund started at just $8,000 during the pandemic, Brownlee said, but the college's students frequently face unanticipated medical, utility, transportation, and other costs.

Read more here: https://www.insidehighered.com/news/student-success/academic-life/2025/10/07/students-struggle-surprise-costs-dont-know-about-help

Aurora’s future runs through its community college

“If Aurora thrives in the next 20 years, it will be because the Community College of Aurora prepared its people — not just for jobs, but for leadership, citizenship, and a shared future.”

To read more, please visit: https://www.denvergazette.com/2025/10/03/auroras-future-runs-through-its-community-college-michael-hancock/

Dr. Mordecai Featured by CampusWorks

Posted by CampusWorks, Inc:

Thank you, Dr. Mordecai Brownlee, President of the Community College of Aurora, for your column in The EDU Ledger on "No More One-Trick Ponies: Adapt, Evolve, or Step Aside."

In his column, President Brownlee urges his peers in college leadership to "embrace the changes that our institutions must implement," which he understands can be disruptive, but noting it's change that often sparks innovation.

"From coast to coast, from metro to rural, from public to private, and from four-year to two-year institutions, the real power for equitable student success lies in our ability to bring our institutional missions to life in new ways that build bridges to fulfill academic rigor and provide opportunities for the disenfranchised," writes President Brownlee.

Read more: https://bit.ly/4nEBymc

Employer Perspectives on Immigration: Expanding the Talent Pool (Dr. Mordecai Featured)

Employer Perspectives on Immigration: Expanding the Talent Pool” features insights from Colorado employers on the need to modernize immigration policies. They discuss how creating legal pathways to immigration is essential for addressing the state’s talent crisis, ensuring economic growth, and securing the future of key industries. The video underscores that smart, market-based immigration reform is critical for maintaining Colorado’s competitiveness and prosperity in a rapidly evolving global economy.

Community College Daily

“In Colorado, Gov. Jared Polis and legislative leadership have turned to the Colorado Community College System (CCCS) to address critical workforce shortages in healthcare, notes Mordecai Brownlee, president of Community College of Aurora (CCA). Through state legislation, $26 million in state recovery dollars from the Covid-related American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) were allocated to CCCS to create Care Forward Colorado”

Read more here: https://www.ccdaily.com/2024/09/state-efforts-provide-models-for-workforce-pell/

Dr. Mordecai Named one of the top 10 inspiring educational leaders of 2024 by The Education Magazine.

Community College of Aurora president, Mordecai Ian Brownlee, Ed.D., has been recognized as one of the top 10 inspiring educational leaders of 2024 by The Education Magazine!

Discover more about his visionary leadership and the impact on our community here: https://www.theeducationmagazine.com/dr-mordecai-ian-brownlee/

The Community College of Aurora Discusses Commitment to Equitable Student Success Amid Market Changes

To view this CBS Colorado segment reported by Tori Mason, please visit: https://www.cbsnews.com/colorado/video/community-college-of-aurora-cutting-certain-degree-programs/#x

Tough Decisions in Partnership With Faculty Will Lead to Student Transformation in the New Era of Higher Education

“College President Mordecai Brownlee said the school wanted to make changes to its programs to better connect students to the job market. He said higher education has been slow to ensure students get the most value from their education.”

To read this article, please visit: https://co.chalkbeat.org/2022/10/6/23390220/community-college-aurora-cut-30-degree-program-offerings-jobs