Abigail Seldin

Seldin was born in January 1988 to Judith Seldin-Cohen and David Seldin.{{cite news |title=Abigail Seldin and Whitney Haring-Smith |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/27/fashion/weddings/abigail-seldin-whitney-haring-smith-weddings.html |agency=The New York Times |date=May 27, 2012}} She attended Phillips Academy,{{cite news |last1=Snyder |first1=Susan |title=Penn scholar's road to a Rhodes scholarship |url=https://www.inquirer.com/philly/news/local/20081125_Penn_student_named_Rhodes_scholar.html |work=The Philadelphia Inquirer |date=November 25, 2008}}{{cite book |first=Malinda |last=Stafford Blustain |title=Glory, Trouble, and Renaissance at the Robert S. Peabody Museum of Archaeology |year=2018 |publisher=U of Nebraska Press |isbn=9781496205414 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=l0lNDwAAQBAJ}} followed by the University of Pennsylvania and graduated in 2009 with a BA and MS degree in anthropology.{{cite news |title=Abigail Seldin - Founder of College Abacus |url=https://www.huffpost.com/author/abigail-seldin |agency=HuffPost}} While in college, Seldin curated a gallery exhibition, Fulfilling a Prophecy: The Past and Present of the Lenape in Pennsylvania, at the Penn Museum. The exhibit highlighted how the cultural heritage of the Lenape people survived their displacement after contact with European settlers in the 17th century.{{cite news |last1=Hurdle |first1=John |title=Exhibition shows how native American tribe survived |url=https://ca.reuters.com/article/idCATRE4B05LC20081201 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191006001527/https://ca.reuters.com/article/idCATRE4B05LC20081201 |url-status=dead |archive-date=October 6, 2019 |work=Reuters |date=December 1, 2008}}

In 2008, Seldin was awarded a Rhodes Scholarship{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=|title=TARS 2019|url=https://www.americanrhodes.org/assets/attachments/TARS_2009_web.pdf|access-date=|website=}} to attend Oxford University,{{cite news |last1=Maffeo |first1=Lauren |title=Why I turned down Silicon Valley for Washington, DC |url=https://thenextweb.com/entrepreneur/2014/11/06/turned-silicon-valley-washington-dc/ |agency=The Next Web |date=November 6, 2014}} where she pursued a DPhil in social anthropology. However, she did not complete this degree. She completed a fellowship in cultural heritage tourism at Hong Kong Tourism Board as a Henry Luce Scholar.{{cite news |last1=Zweifler |first1=Seth |title=Two graduates selected as Luce Scholars |url=https://www.thedp.com/article/2012/02/two_graduates_selected_as_luce_scholars |agency=The Daily Pennsylvanian |date=November 6, 2014}} In 2015, she was named to the Forbes 30 Under 30 list in the Education category.{{cite news |title=2015: 30 under 30 - Education |url=https://www.forbes.com/pictures/lmh45mfhd/abigail-seldin-26/#347d42db6c36 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150109133749/http://www.forbes.com/pictures/lmh45mfhd/abigail-seldin-26/#347d42db6c36 |url-status=dead |archive-date=January 9, 2015 |agency=Forbes}}

In 2012, Seldin and her husband, Whitney Haring-Smith, co-founded College Abacus, a web tool that allows prospective students to compare individualized financial aid packages from American colleges and universities.{{cite news |last1=Grant |first1=Rebecca |title=Finance 101: College Abacus helps students figure out what schools they can afford |url=https://venturebeat.com/2013/09/25/finance-101-college-abacus-helps-students-figure-out-what-schools-they-can-afford/ |agency=Venturebeat |date=September 25, 2013}} She served as chief executive officer until it was acquired by ECMC Group, a student loan collection agency, in 2014. After the acquisition, she served as VP of Innovation at the Washington DC office of ECMC Group.{{cite news |last1=Greenberg |first1=Molly |title=6 of Forbes' '30 Under 30′ Education All-Stars Have DC-Area Ties |url=https://www.americaninno.com/dc/forbes-30-under-30-in-education-from-dc/ |agency=DC Inno |date=January 5, 2015}} Under Seldin's leadership, debt-repayment and other data from the Obama Administration's College Scorecard initiative were incorporated into College Abacus.{{cite news |last1=Chang |first1=Lulu |title=Abigail Seldin talks College Abacus and being a woman in tech |url=https://www.digitaltrends.com/cool-tech/abigail-seldin-on-college-abacus/ |agency=Digital Trends |date=December 20, 2015}}{{cite news |last1=Berman |first1=Jillian |title=The New Math of College Rankings |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-new-math-of-college-rankings-1446433533 |work=The Wall Street Journal |date=November 1, 2015}}

Seldin was a candidate for the role of chief operating officer for the Office of Federal Student Aid during the Biden administration.{{Cite web |date=2021-05-03 |title=Biden admin taps Rich Cordray, former CFPB chief, to oversee federal student loans |url=https://www.politico.com/news/2021/05/03/biden-picks-richard-cordray-student-loans-485231 |website=Politico}} In 2021, Seldin published a research report on fraud and links to sex trafficking in certain schools which offer massage therapy certification.{{Cite web|title=A Sex Trafficking Operation or a School? {{!}} RealClearPolitics|url=https://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2021/07/28/a_sex_trafficking_operation_or_a_school_146150.html|access-date=2021-08-30|website=www.realclearpolitics.com}} The report on sex trafficking and federal financial aid, which studied 18 institutions in five states,{{Cite web|title=Report Linking Institutions to Sex Trafficking Prompts Congressional Investigation {{!}} Inside Higher Ed|url=https://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2021/07/08/report-linking-institutions-sex-trafficking-prompts-congressional|access-date=2021-08-30|website=www.insidehighered.com|language=en}} was cited as a rationale for an investigation by the United States House Committee on Oversight and Reform in summer 2021.{{Cite web|date=July 7, 2021|title=Massage schools linked to prostitution, fraud remain open|url=https://www.usatoday.com/in-depth/news/investigations/2021/07/07/fraud-prostitution-suspected-at-us-massage-schools/7815426002/|access-date=2021-08-30|website=www.usatoday.com}}

In January 2024, Seldin became Chief Growth Officer at Scholarship America.{{Cite web |date=January 8, 2024 |title=Scholarship America Announces New Chief Growth Officer Abigail Seldin |url=https://scholarshipamerica.org/blog/scholarship-america-announces-new-chief-growth-officer-abigail-seldin/ |website=Scholarship America}}

Seldin currently serves on the board of Open Campus,{{Cite web |title=Foundation leader and former EWA executive director join Open Campus board |date=12 January 2023 |url=https://www.opencampusmedia.org/2023/01/12/foundation-leader-and-former-ewa-executive-director-join-open-campus-board/}} and Association of American Rhodes Scholars. She previously served on the boards of the Temple University Hope Center, the Montgomery College Foundation.{{Cite web |date=2020-08-03 |title=Abigail Seldin |url=https://hope4college.com/abigail-seldin/ |access-date=2022-04-23 |website=The Hope Center |language=en-US}} She frequently writes on the topics of educational policy and student financial aid, as seen in a number of publications, including HuffPost,{{Cite news |last=Seldin |first=Abigail |title=Don't Get Conned Paying for College: Five Scholarship and Financial Aid Scams to Watch Out for this College Application Season |work=HuffPost |url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/abigail-seldin/dont-get-conned-paying-fo_b_8186226.html}} The Hill,{{Cite web |last=Seldin |first=Abigail |date=2020-11-21 |title=College students are going hungry — states can help |url=https://thehill.com/opinion/education/526989-college-kids-are-going-hungry-states-can-help/ |access-date=2022-04-23 |website=The Hill |language=en-US}} Salon.com,{{Cite web |first1=Sara |last1=Goldrick-Rab |first2=Abigail |last2=Seldin |date=2019-10-06 |title=California's new law allowing college athletes to be paid is a step in the right direction |url=https://www.salon.com/2019/10/06/californias-new-law-allowing-college-athletes-to-be-paid-is-a-step-in-the-right-direction/ |access-date=2022-04-23 |website=Salon |language=en}} The Philadelphia Inquirer,{{Cite web |first1=Sara |last1=Goldrick-Rab |first2=Abigail |last2=Seldin |title=Why did it take a celebrity scandal to talk absurd college costs? {{!}} Opinion |url=https://www.inquirer.com/opinion/commentary/college-admissions-scandal-cost-student-debt-20190314.html |access-date=2022-04-23 |website=inquirer.com |date=14 March 2019 |language=en}} and CNN.{{Cite web |last=Seldin |first=Abigail |date=2019-04-03 |title=Final Four is a time to challenge college's true cost |url=https://www.cnn.com/2019/04/03/opinions/ncaa-final-four-spotlights-college-costs-seldin/index.html |access-date=2022-04-23 |website=CNN |language=en}}

In 2019, she co-founded the Seldin/Haring-Smith Foundation, a charitable organization {{cite web |title=The Seldin/Haring-Smith Foundation organizes and funds public interest projects within the United States |url=https://www.shs.foundation/ |agency=Official website}} In a 2021 interview, Seldin described how she and her husband were inspired to found the foundation because of what they saw as an opportunity to fund nonprofit organizations that could help reform both policy and public opinion.

The Seldin/Haring-Smith Foundation helped to establish a partnership between the National Head Start Association and the Association of Community College Trustees which is relocating Head Start centers to community college campuses in the United States. This initiative is intended to increase the availability of on-campus childcare and reverse the trend of declining enrollment and staffing shortages at Head Start centers.{{Cite web |last=Weissman |first=Sara |title='Matchmaking' Community Colleges and Head Start |url=https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2023/04/05/partnership-aims-bring-head-start-community-colleges |access-date=2024-02-11 |website=Inside Higher Ed}}{{Cite news |date=2023-03-14 |title=Opinion - Head Start centers in community colleges can change the child-care equation |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2023/03/14/head-start-centers-community-college-campuses/ |access-date=2024-02-11 |newspaper=Washington Post}} The first Head Start relocation associated with the project opened in August 2023.{{Cite web |last=Brown |first=Annie |date=2023-08-30 |title=New Early Childhood Education space opens at Miami University Middletown |url=https://local12.com/news/local/new-early-childhood-education-space-opens-at-miami-university-middletown |access-date=2024-02-11 |website=WKRC}}

File:National Head Start Transit Initiative ribbon-cutting.jpg

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Seldin/Haring-Smith Foundation created a no-cost online service called SwiftStudent, to help students submit a financial aid appeal to their institution's aid office.{{cite news |last1=Hoover |first1=Eric |date=April 15, 2020 |title=Financial-Aid Appeals Are Mysterious. This Tool Was Built to Simplify Them. |url=https://www.chronicle.com/article/Financial-Aid-Appeals-Are/248528?cid=wcontentlist_hp_latest |work=Chronicle of Higher Education}}{{cite news |last1=Wan |first1=Tony |date=April 15, 2020 |title=Students Need More Financial Aid Than What They Applied for. A Free New Tool Can Help |url=https://www.edsurge.com/news/2020-04-15-students-need-more-financial-aid-than-what-they-applied-for-a-free-new-tool-can-help |agency=Edsurge}}{{Cite news |last=Lieber |first=Ron |date=2020-04-25 |title=How to Ask a College for More Financial Aid |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/25/your-money/college-financial-aid-coronavirus.html |access-date=2020-04-27 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}} SwiftStudent was named a finalist in Fast Company's World Changing Ideas Awards.{{Cite web |date=2021-05-04 |title=World Changing Ideas Awards 2021: Education Finalists and Honorable Mentions |url=https://www.fastcompany.com/90623632/world-changing-ideas-awards-2021-education-finalists-and-honorable-mentions |access-date=2021-08-30 |website=Fast Company |language=en-US}} As of 2020, the Seldin/Haring-Smith Foundation had partnered with 17 colleges and higher education organizations to test features of SwiftStudent with focus groups of students and financial aid officers. SwiftStudent is operated by FormSwift, which was acquired by Dropbox in 2022.{{Cite web |last=Wiggers |first=Kyle |date=2022-12-16 |title=Dropbox buys form management platform FormSwift for $95M in cash |url=https://techcrunch.com/2022/12/16/dropbox-buys-form-management-platform-formswift-for-95m-in-cash/ |access-date=2024-02-11|website=TechCrunch |language=en-US}}

File:Public transit proximity to Head Start Centers.png

The SHSF released the SHSF Public Transit Map in 2021, which found that 57% of community colleges were accessible by public transit and an additional 25% could be made accessible by extending existing bus lines.{{Cite web |title=Community & Technical Colleges Transit Map |url=https://www.civicmaps.org/community-technical-college-transit-map}} In 2022, the SHSF launched the Civic Mapping Initiative, a research center{{Cite web |date=2023-10-23 |title=Kids Need a Head Start Just to Get to Head Start: Report — Streetsblog USA |url=https://usa.streetsblog.org/2023/10/23/kids-need-a-head-start-just-to-get-to-head-start-report |access-date=2024-02-11 |website=usa.streetsblog.org}} which maps the accessibility of public transit and identifies opportunities for improving accessibility through public policy.{{Cite web |title=Civic Mapping Index |url=https://search.issuelab.org/resource/civic-mapping-index.html |access-date=2024-02-11|website=search.issuelab.org}} The initiative has published analyses and interactive maps of public transit access to community colleges across the United States, as well as statewide and regional maps.{{Cite web |title=This Initiative Is Mapping Public Transit Access to Community Colleges|url=https://www.bestcolleges.com/news/civic-mapping-initiative-community-colleges/ |access-date=2024-02-11 |website=bestcolleges.com}}

The SHSF Public Transit Map map was cited in the introduction of the bipartisan Promoting Advancement Through Transit Help (PATH) to College Act in 2021.{{Cite web |title=A PATH to Greater Public Transit Access |url=https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2021/11/29/bill-would-improve-public-transportation-access-colleges}} The Civic Mapping Initiative's work was cited in the PATH to College Act's reintroduction in 2023.{{Cite web |title=Bipartisan Legislation to Enhance Public Transportation Accessibility for College Students|url=https://kilmer.house.gov/media/press-releases/kilmer-introduces-bipartisan-legislation-to-enhance-public-transportation-accessibility-for-college-students}}

The initiative has also partnered with the National Head Start Association to map the distances between public transit stops and Head Start centers. The Civic Mapping Initiative's findings have led to collaboration between local and national organizations in several states to relocate bus stops closer to Head Start centers, to make the centers more accessible to students and parents.{{Cite news |last=McCray |first=Vanessa |title=Advocates push for transit connections to Georgia's two-year colleges |language=English |work=The Atlanta Journal-Constitution |url=https://www.ajc.com/education/advocates-push-for-transit-connections-to-georgias-two-year-colleges/GMBZB2IABFGQTB4VKYHTYQHWCE/ |access-date=2024-02-11}} The cities of Memphis, Tennessee and Alexandria, Virginia attributed their decisions to relocate transit stops closer to Head Start centers to data provided by the Civic Mapping Initiative.{{Cite web |title='A great impact:' MATA moves three bus stops to be closer to Head Start centers |url=https://www.commercialappeal.com/story/news/local/2023/10/27/mata-moves-bus-stops-to-be-closer-to-head-start-centers-in-memphis/71333871007/ |access-date=2024-02-11|website=The Commercial Appeal}}{{Cite web |last=Cline |first=Nathaniel |date=2023-10-26 |title=Nearly two-thirds of Virginia Head Start centers beyond walking distance for toddlers |url=https://www.virginiamercury.com/2023/10/26/nearly-two-thirds-of-virginia-head-start-centers-beyond-walking-distance-for-toddlers/ |access-date=2024-02-11|website=Virginia Mercury}}

The Civic Mapping Initiative was acquired by the National League of Cities in December 2023.{{Cite web |title=The Edge: Colleges should model — and teach — a commitment to pluralism |url=https://www.chronicle.com/newsletter/the-edge/2024-01-03}}

Seldin met fellow Rhodes Scholar Whitney Haring-Smith in 2009 and they married in Florida in 2012.

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