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John Garcia III is the executive director of the Pathways Impact Fund at StriveTogether, where he supports opportunities to improve the experiences of students to set them on a path to college and careers. In this role, he co-chairs the Commission on Purposeful Pathways, mobilizing increased funding for regional intermediary organizations and identifying bright spots for further research and support.

John has more than 20 years of experience in the corporate, nonprofit and philanthropic sectors and in public policy at the state, county and federal levels. Most recently, he served as senior advisor for policy in the CHIPS program office at the U.S. Department of Commerce. Previously, John was a senior advisor in the Office of Policy, Evaluation and Planning at the U.S. Department of Education, where he worked to strengthen pathways from K-12 to postsecondary education and in-demand careers. Before his public service, John served as the founding president and CEO of the Greater Los Angeles Education Foundation. He has consulted for the National Governors Association, Jobs for the Future and the Southern Regional Education Board. John has served on the boards of Grantmakers for Education, the Leadership Academy and Social Venture Partners Los Angeles. He began his career in business before transitioning to education, first as a school counselor then as the founding executive director of the Arizona College Access Network.

John holds his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Arizona State University and his doctorate of education leadership from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. John lives in Washington D.C. He is an avid traveler and sports fan who roots for all Arizona-based teams.