Washington Update: Navigating Federal Funding, Tax Reform, and Regulatory Shifts (Recording)

Liz LaPolt Clark is vice president for policy and research at NACUBO and a member of the NACUBO executive leadership group. She has been widely quoted in the press and is a sought-after speaker on how Washington politics and federal policies impact higher education. Clark got her start on Capitol Hill opening Cornell University's first Washington, DC-based federal relations office. Also in her career, she has led federal affairs for the State University of New York (SUNY) System and for Oregon State University. At NACUBO, she heads the team responsible for analysis of federal regulatory and legislative actions, research, and communications.

Bryan Dickson is director of education policy at the National Association of Colleges and University Business Officers. He serves as an advocate and strategist on federal higher education finance policy, with a focus on federal student aid administration and issues affecting access, affordability, and institutional financial operations. 

In his role Bryan monitors and interprets legislative and regulatory developments, providing strategic analysis and practical guidance to NACUBO members. He works closely with institutional leaders to assess policy impact, supports member engagement through councils and committees, and helps align NACUBO’s educational programming with emerging federal policies. 

Bryan joined NACUBO in 2008 and holds a bachelor's degree from Edinboro University of Pennsylvania. 

Ashley N. Jackson, director of government affairs for NACUBO, leads advocacy efforts on Capitol Hill on issues affecting business officers such as higher education reauthorization, tax and accounting policy, and annual appropriations. Prior to joining NACUBO, from 2015 to 2022, Jackson worked with the National Asphalt Pavement Association (NAPA) to secure $3 million for the asphalt airfield pavement research program as part of the Federal Aviation Administration reauthorization. She focused on surface transportation and aviation authorizations, annual appropriations bills, highway funding, and asphalt research as NAPA's point person on Capitol Hill. In addition to managing the NAPA Political Action Committee, Jackson led the planning and execution of the annual Transportation Construction Coalition Legislative Fly-In, which brought more than 500 highway contractors to Washington each spring to discuss issues affecting highway and airport infrastructure funding with lawmakers.