Deven Comen is an education strategist and cross-sector leader with experience spanning philanthropy, government, startups, and large-scale nonprofit enterprises. She currently serves as a Senior Strategy Officer on the Higher Education team at the Gates Foundation, where she drives strategy and operations for a $100M grant portfolio focused on strengthening digital infrastructure and data systems to improve student success at community colleges nationwide.
Previously, Deven served as Vice President of Strategic Initiatives at a series-A technology startup supporting colleges & governments with benefits administration software. She also served as a political appointee in the Biden-Harris Administration as Chief of Staff for the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Communications and Outreach, where she supported national stakeholder engagement during the global pandemic.
Earlier in her career, Deven led external partnerships for College Board’s BigFuture Scholarships, a digital product guiding approximately one million students annually through key college planning milestones. She also served as the founding Chief of Staff for College Board’s College & Career Access division. She began her career in public service as a special education teacher at Anacostia Senior High School in Washington, D.C., through Teach For America, and later advised federal agencies and national nonprofits as a consultant in Deloitte’s public sector strategy practice.
A first-generation college graduate and Pell Grant recipient, Deven holds a B.A. in Government from Georgetown University and an M.Ed. in Special Education from George Mason University. She remains deeply engaged in education access and leadership development, serving as an advisor to Georgetown University’s Social Responsibility Network and Georgetown Scholars Program, and to Vocal Justice, an organization that positions youth proximate to injustice as leaders for social change. She resides in Mount Pleasant with her active-duty husband, their daughter Sydney, and their puppy, Mojito.