Complete College America released today the following statement from organization president Tom Sugar on the passing of David Wright. Wright served as Chief Policy Officer for the Tennessee Higher Education Commission and as the state’s lead for work with CCA. He was recently designated as a Complete College America Fellow for his exemplary national leadership in college completion efforts:

David Wright was intensely focused on student success, and he recognized that the future of Tennessee and of our country depends on the fierce pursuit of that cause. He believed in the power of higher education to ensure students unlocked their talents and accessed their dreams, and regardless of shifting politics or competing priorities, was steadfast in his devotion to that work.

Personal challenges provided David unique insight into the fragile nature of life, and he leveraged that wisdom into greater and more urgent action for the benefit of the college students he served. His colleagues and fellow impatient reformers in the college completion movement must now do the same, just as David Wright would have commanded.