BHEF Staff

Kristen Fox joined BHEF as CEO in January 2024 and is focused on expanding the impact and reach of BHEF. She brings 20 years of leadership experience working at the intersection of education, digital learning, and workforce development and has advised foundations, institutions, and companies on the design and implementation of successful strategies that drive impact, growth, and sustainability.

As managing director at a leading strategy consulting firm, Fox led organizational growth and advised leaders of foundations, companies, and institutions in the education and knowledge sector. In her work she brought university and employer executives together to design regional workforce development pathways, led university-wide strategy and revenue sustainability engagements, informed the development of equity-centered products and go-to-market strategies for edtech firms, and published nationally regarded research on the impact of the pandemic on teaching, learning, and equity in higher education.

Fox previously worked as a special advisor at Northeastern University, where she led initiatives focused on building new models to scale experiential and work-based learning, developing alternative credentials, scaling career services, and creating new pathways to recruit underserved students into high-demand fields. Prior to that, Fox was a managing vice president at Eduventures, where she built high performing teams and worked with hundreds of institutions to develop strategy and track market trends and innovations. Early in her career, Fox taught undergraduate global history and writing courses at the University of California, San Diego.

Fox has a BA in international relations and Chinese from Colgate University and a MA in international affairs and economic development from the School of Global Policy and Strategy at the University of California, San Diego. 

Jennifer Thornton is the SVP and chief programs officer for the Business-Higher Education Forum where she engages business and higher education in the development of strategic partnerships to meet workforce needs. In this role, she works with BHEF members to improve alignment between business and higher education, developing partnerships that foster diverse, highly skilled graduates with emerging skills in digital technologies.  

Previously, Jennifer was the director of workforce initiatives for the Greater Washington Partnership, where she led the formation of the Capital CoLAB, one of the nation’s foremost collaborations between academia and business.  She developed deep partnerships with university and business leaders to design industry-recognized digital technology credentials and supported their launch in universities throughout the Capital Region. Prior to joining the partnership, Jennifer managed initiatives for the Pew Charitable Trusts focused on identifying business-led strategies to increase youth employment and assessing states’ use of data analytics to inform budget and policy decisions. Before Pew, Jennifer spent nearly two decades in workforce policy and leadership in Washington state, where her roles included chief administrative officer of WorkForce Central, senior research analyst for the House of Representatives’ Higher Education Committee and Technology & Economic Development Committee, and workforce education program administrator for the State Board for Community and Technical Colleges. 

Jennifer holds a bachelor’s degree in public policy analysis from Cornell University and a master’s degree in urban planning and policy from the University of Illinois at Chicago. 

Stacey Brown joined Business-Higher Education Forum in 2016 as the senior director for finance and administration. Before arriving at BHEF, Brown spent four years as the senior financial officer for a Washington, DC-based nonprofit organization where she was responsible for the organization's financial, accounting, budget, reporting, and grants management functions. Prior to entering the nonprofit sector, Brown served as both a budget and finance manager in the State of Maryland Higher Education System for 15 years and six years in state government. As a budget and finance manager, Brown analyzed and assessed the funding and performance of University System of Maryland institutions and provided recommendations for funding to be included in the governor’s proposed annual budget. Brown held roles that included grants management, which required preparation of project budgets for large-scale, multi-year federal and private research initiatives. Additionally, Brown was responsible for automating several budget functions in an effort to simplify reporting requirements, produce ad hoc requests, and manage data. Brown earned master’s degree in accounting and financial management from the University of Maryland University College and a bachelor’s of science degree in business administration, with a concentration in accounting, from Bowie State University.

Frank Avery joins the Business-Higher Education Forum as its inaugural managing director for partnerships. In this role, he will lead the organization’s engagements in national, state, and local partnerships with a focus on emerging and expanding skill areas such as artificial intelligence, clean energy, and cybersecurity.

He joins BHEF after serving as a program officer for the U.S. Economic Development Administration’s Good Jobs Challenge under EDA Assistant Secretary Alejandra Castillo. There, he oversaw a $500M investment under the 2021 American Rescue Plan, aimed at making once-in-a-generation investments in high-quality, locally led workforce systems to accelerate economic recovery following the peak impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. During his tenure, he advised on key workforce issues such as the implementation of high-performing business-led sector partnerships strategies and the rollout of EDA’s CHIPS & Science Act programs like Recompete Pilot Program. He was a founding lead for the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Workforce Council Community of Practice, led by the Office of the Secretary of Commerce, and continues to regularly advise agencies, national partners, and regional leaders on best practices for implementing effective and equitable talent ecosystem strategies.

Before joining EDA, Avery served as the director of regional initiatives for the Business-Higher Education Forum. He previously served as executive director of an award-winning multi-county Florida-based public workforce development board. He has served as a senior consultant and subject matter expert in workforce development, registered apprenticeships, and work-based learning programs for a global consulting firm. Avery began his career as a program manager with a regional economic development organization where he specialized in establishing business-led coalitions in the Carolinas and Florida to accelerate the growth of clean tech, IT, and innovation economies.

He is first generation college graduate from the University of South Carolina and resides in Washington, DC.

Stephanie Blochinger joined BHEF in 2019 and is currently the senior director of member engagement. In this role, she leads efforts to strengthen and expand the network, drive impact-driven initiatives, and foster meaningful partnerships. She plays a key role in enhancing member engagement, supporting membership growth, and advancing research and convenings that support the organization’s mission. 

With a career dedicated to building strategic collaborations and delivering high-impact programs, she has extensive experience managing global education, professional development, and international exchange initiatives. Prior to joining BHEF, she managed executive training programs for healthcare professionals in sub-Saharan Africa at the Global Business School Network and oversaw international education initiatives and research partnerships at the Institute of International Education and the British Council.

Stephanie holds a B.S. in international affairs from Georgia Tech and an M.S.Ed. in international educational development from the University of Pennsylvania.

Candace Williams is director of regional initiatives at BHEF. In her role, she leverages postsecondary education and workforce expertise and strategic planning capabilities to develop strong partnerships in support of regional talent ecosystems. 

Formerly, she was the data and research manager at Advance CTE, overseeing work on postsecondary CTE data systems, credit for prior learning and state CTE funding. Before joining Advance CTE, Candace was the director of policy and research at the New England Board of Higher Education. In addition to guiding the organization’s policy agenda and producing reports and analysis, she acted as project director on a number of grant-funded initiatives covering credential transparency, recognition of learning, upskilling, employability and micro-credentialing. Candace started her career as an aide in the Massachusetts state senate, working for Sen. Mike Barrett (D-Lexington). 

A native of mid-coast Maine, Candace earned her undergraduate and graduate degrees in economics at Northeastern University. 

Madison Myers joined Business-Higher Education Forum in 2021 as a research assistant and is now a manager of workforce partnerships.   In her role, Myers produces analytical reports, provides technical assistance to regional partnerships, conducts data gathering and research, and supports the planning and execution of project-related meetings. Previously interning as research assistant at BHEF, Myers provided qualitative and quantitative research and supported a variety of programmatic and membership initiatives.   Myers recently earned a bachelor’s of science degree in actuarial science from High Point University.

Melody's 14 years of nonprofit administration and team development make her the go-to problem solver for our members and team, helping with everything from member invoicing, grant management support, event logistics, to day-to-day support. Always looking for ways to make things easier and run more smoothly, she helps the team deliver great service to our network every step of the way.