THURSDAY KEYNOTE SPEAKER
Malavica Sridhar is the CEO of TheraDriver, a venture-backed software company pioneering AI-driven solutions for behavioral health clinics. TheraDriver currently partners with over 200 autism and ABA providers across the U.S., helping to reduce administrative burden and streamline clinical workflows through AI technology. Prior to founding TheraDriver, Mal led machine learning infrastructure at Waymo, Google’s self-driving car division. She also served as a Product Lead at CircleUp, where she applied data and machine learning to optimize private market investment strategies. Throughout her career, Mal has been driven by a deep passion for leveraging machine learning, AI, and data storytelling to improve outcomes across diverse industries — from behavioral health and autonomous vehicles to financial services. Mal began her career at McKinsey & Company and is a proud alumna of the University of Michigan.
FRIDAY KEYNOTE SPEAKER
Jonathan Fansmith is the senior vice president for Government Relations and National Engagement at the American Council on Education (ACE), where he leads federal advocacy efforts on behalf of the nation’s colleges and universities. He oversees ACE’s engagement with Congress, federal agencies, and the courts on key issues including student aid, regulation, research funding, and tax policy.
Since assuming this role in 2022, Fansmith has led efforts to modernize and expand ACE’s advocacy strategies to meet a rapidly evolving policy environment. He played a key role in launching ACE’s National Engagement Office in 2023, which works to influence public debates on the role and value of higher education and support institutions in navigating shifting state policies affecting academic freedom and institutional autonomy.
In previous roles with ACE, he led the higher education community’s work on Higher Education Act reauthorization and efforts to secure relief funding for students and institutions during the COVID-19 pandemic. For this work, he and the Government Relations and Public Affairs team were recognized with the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators 2021 Outstanding Contribution to Higher Education Award.
Fansmith is a frequent commentator on higher education policy, appearing in outlets such as The Washington Post, Politico, The New York Times, CNN, Roll Call, Fox News, Bloomberg, The Chronicle of Higher Education, National Public Radio, USA Today, National Journal, and Inside Higher Ed. His writing has appeared in The Washington Post, Inside Higher Ed, and The Journal of College and University Law. He cohosts ACE’s dotEDU podcast and is a frequent speaker at conferences, webinars, and public forums on postsecondary education.
Fansmith serves on the Think College National Coordinating Center Accreditation Workgroup, which was established under the Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2008. He is a past president and former executive committee member of the Committee for Education Funding.
Fansmith earned a bachelor’s degree in history from Georgetown University and a master’s degree in government from Johns Hopkins University. He lives in Washington, DC with his wife, two daughters, and a poorly trained dog.
Source: acenet.edu