KAP 2026-2027 - Program Associate for Trustee & Government Affairs - American Council of Trustees and Alumni

The Koch Associate Program (KAP) is a career accelerator for early to mid-career professionals with a drive to tackle our country’s most pressing challenges in more effective, principled ways. KAP equips associates with the tools, mindsets, and community to succeed as social entrepreneurs—individuals excited to find new and better ways to break barriers and eliminate injustice. Associates spend one day each week engaging in experiential learning with Stand Together Fellowships and work at one of our many partner organizations the rest of the week. Our curriculum is designed to supercharge your development and equip you for long-term success as you seek to have an impact on the problems that prevent people from realizing their potential.  

The Program Associate for Trustee & Government Affairs advances ACTA’s core values of academic excellence, academic freedom, and accountability by assisting the Associate Director of External Affairs in maintaining ACTA’s national network of trustees and elected officials and improving ACTA’s communications with those audiences in coordination with ACTA’s Trustees and Government Affairs Department.

Specifically, the Program Associate performs the following tasks:

• Assisting the Associate Director of External Affairs with communications and outreach to trustees, governors, policymakers, and related constituent groups, including responding to research questions and coordinating with other departmental staff on outreach projects.
• Organizing ACTA’s trustee events and webinar programs, including seeing through selection of participants, event marketing, logistical management, and constituent communications.
• Ensuring quality control of ACTA’s database of college and university trustees, assisting with database administration on an as-needed basis; overseeing database work of interns and outside contractors.
• Managing the department’s direct mail and e-mail campaigns, including serving as the department’s primary point of contact with ACTA’s mail house vendor, facilitating department mass mailings, and responding to resource requests from constituents.
• Drafting correspondence and/or policy statements directed to higher education stakeholders including boards of trustees and government bodies.
• Providing research, logistical, and operational support to departmental initiatives including targeted mailings, trustee publications, events, and ACTA’s board services.

The Program Associate must approach these tasks as an entrepreneurial enterprise, requiring an understanding of and proactive approach to ACTA’s programming activities. The Program Associate is expected to be personable, dynamic, well organized, highly motivated, and principled, and to act with the highest degree of personal responsibility, accountability, and honesty. This role is Washington, DC based, and applicants must be able to reliably commute to the ACTA office. Hybrid arrangements may be considered for exceptional candidates. The salary for this position ranges from $50,000 to $55,000, depending on experience.

To apply, please include a cover letter.

About Stand Together Fellowships 

Learn more about Stand Together Fellowships.

Stand Together Fellowships believes that diversity in experiences, perspectives, knowledge and ideas fuels creativity, broadens knowledge, and helps drive success. Our admissions office treats all program participants and applicants with honesty, dignity, respect and sensitivity. We welcome all qualified applicants regardless of color, race, religion, religious creed, sex, gender or gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, national origin, citizenship, ethnicity, ancestry, age, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition, pregnancy (including medical needs which may arise from pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), military and veteran status, genetic information, marital or familial status, political affiliation, or any other legally recognized protected basis under federal, state or local laws, regulations or ordinances.