Dr. Mara Woody is the Assistant Commissioner for Postsecondary Policy with the Missouri Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development. She’s served in this position since July 2019, and oversees Academic Affairs and Strategic Initiatives and Projects. In this capacity, Woody has led initiatives through partnership and collaboration to increase social service worker presence on college campuses, provide resources and support to Missouri higher education institutions through the COVID-19 pandemic, support efforts to increase access to affordable childcare, and create the Adult Learner Network, connecting higher education and workforce development to serve adult learners in the state. Mara has led her office through an organizational merge and restructuring, global pandemic, and changing the office culture to focus on educational innovation, strategic projects, and change management. Previous to this, Mara served as the Judicial Education Manager for the Missouri Office of State Courts Administrator, where she led judicial education efforts for court staff. Before coming to the State Courts, she served in public and private higher education institutions for over a decade in several capacities: international credentialing, Academic Affairs, LEAN process improvement, and updating technological advances so offices became fully digital. Dr. Woody has an Ed.D. in Educational Leadership and Policy from Vanderbilt University, a Master of Science in Criminal Justice from Columbia College, and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Criminal Justice. During the summer of 2012, she was a fellow in the Peabody College Institute of Higher Education Management at Vanderbilt University.