Monique Miles
Managing Director, Aspen Institute Forum for Community Solutions
Monique Miles is a vice president at the Aspen Institute, a global non-profit organization committed to realizing a free, just and equitable society. In her role, she serves as the managing director of the Aspen Forum for Community Solutions and the Director of the Opportunity Youth Fund (OYF). The OYF is a national and global initiative aimed at building diverse, equitable and inclusive systems and economies for adults who are out of work with limited education options, with an emphasis on returning citizens, veterans and other marginalized populations.
Before joining the Aspen Institute, Monique was the director of postsecondary education at the National Youth Employment Coalition (NYEC). In this role, she supported community-based organizations to partner with postsecondary institutions to improve education outcomes for disconnected young adults. She has also led state-level policy outcomes for young adults in the justice system, and she began her career in the social sector teaching basic literacy and numeracy skills to young adults in prison.
Monique is both a first-generation college student, and one of the first members of her family to graduate high school. Her life's work is dedicated to dismantling structural barriers so that more Black, Indigenous and LatinX people of colour have better access to meaningful opportunities.
Monique holds a B.Sc. in Human Services from Springfield College and an Ed. M in Policy from Harvard Graduate School of Education.