Keith Witham is Deputy Director - Education Grantmaking. In this role, he supports the team of program officers across Ascendium’s strategic focus areas to maximize the impact of investments in support of learners from low-income backgrounds. He joined the organization in 2021.
Previously, Keith was managing director of the College Excellence Program at the Aspen Institute in Washington, DC, where he led operational and programmatic growth to advance community college student success with equity. Prior to joining Aspen, he was on the faculty of the College of Education at Temple University in Philadelphia and has also held positions with Complete College America and the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation. Outside of Ascendium, Keith serves on advisory boards for the University of Maryland Global Campus Executive Doctoral Program in Community College Leadership and the Belk Center for Community College Leadership and Research at NC State University.
Raised in rural southern New Mexico, Keith earned a bachelor’s degree in political science and a master’s degree in social service administration, both from the University of Chicago. He received a Ph.D. in urban education policy from the University of Southern California Rossier School of Education.
