Kia Sorensen

Kia Sorensen serves as the interim deputy director of Private Postsecondary Education (PPS) and also leads math pathways policy for community colleges and public universities for the Higher Education Coordinating Commission (HECC). In her capacity as the Interim PPS deputy director, Sorensen manages and provides strategic oversight for the Office of Degree Authorization and the Office of Private Career Schools. Sorensen’s math pathways responsibilities include development, coordination, and oversight. Prior to becoming the interim deputy director, Sorensen was an academic policy specialist in the Office of Academic Policy and Authorization at the HECC, where she led work on postsecondary transfer and articulation, as well as math education reform. Sorensen also has a background in research and teaching. Her research focuses on the intersection of education, policy, and family and has been published in Research in Higher Education, The Future of Children, and Early Childhood Research Quarterly. Sorensen received her B.A. in sociology and interdisciplinary visual arts from the University of Washington and an M.S. and Ph.D. in sociology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. In her spare time, Sorensen serves on the Asian Pacific American Network of Oregon Communities United Fund board.