Contact:

Julia Kent
(202) 223-3791
jkent@cgs.nche.edu

Washington, DC — Debra W. Stewart, President of the Council of Graduate Schools (CGS), today announced that Beth Buehlmann has been named the Council’s Vice President for Public Policy and Government Affairs.

Buehlmann brings to CGS more than eight years of experience shaping the development of higher education policy in the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, and over 20 years of combined leadership experience in the fields of higher education and workforce development. From 2005 until her appointment at CGS, Buehlmann served as the education policy director for the HELP Committee under the leadership of Sen. Mike Enzi.

The announcement marks the successful outcome of a nationwide search for a chief government relations officer to advance the role of graduate education and research in federal policy. “CGS is delighted that Beth Buehlmann, a national expert on national higher education policy, will be leading our continued efforts to drive progress on the critical issues facing U.S. graduate education and the country,” Stewart said. “Beth has demonstrated an extraordinary ability to build consensus on Capitol Hill by guiding the development of bipartisan education bills and effectively leading change. CGS members will benefit both from her experience and knowledge as the organization continues to advance the graduate education agenda in Washington.”

In her new leadership role at CGS, Buehlmann will be responsible for designing and negotiating public policy strategies that maximize the impact of the Council’s agenda. Buehlmann will bring her deep knowledge of the America COMPETES Act and the Higher Education Opportunity Act to CGS’s future work in the current policy environment. In accepting the appointment, Buehlmann emphasized the role of graduate education in promoting economic development and innovation. “CGS has a remarkable record of high quality research on critical aspects of graduate education,” Buehlmann said. “I am challenged by the opportunity to work with the ‘think tank’ side of CGS to shape a graduate policy agenda that moves our country forward.”

Buehlmann holds a Ph.D. in Higher Education Administration from Illinois State University and a B.S. in Mathematics Education from Chicago State University. Prior to her work on the HELP Committee, she held the positions of Vice President and Director of the Center for Workforce Preparation at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and Director of Congressional Relations in the Washington office of the California State University System. Throughout the 1980s Buehlmann was the chief education staff person for all education and workforce issues for the ranking members on the House Committee on Education and Labor.

The Council of Graduate Schools is the only national organization dedicated to the advancement of graduate education and research. Council members are colleges and universities engaged in graduate education, research, and the preparation of candidates for advanced degrees. Over 500 institutions of higher education in the United States and Canada constitute CGS’s core membership.