Phillip Lovell
Vice President of Policy Development and Government Relations
Phillip Lovell serves as All4Ed’s vice president of policy development and government relations. He is a passionate advocate for the nation’s underserved children and youth, having spent the past two decades advocating on Capitol Hill in areas such as juvenile justice, homelessness, and education.
Mr. Lovell joined All4Ed in early 2010 and is responsible for leading the organization’s efforts on Capitol Hill, with the White House, and U.S. Department of Education to advocate for federal policy that will prepare the nation’s students to graduate from high school prepared for college and the workforce. He also leads All4Ed’s effort at the state level to ensure that high schools with low graduation rates receive comprehensive support and intervention under the recently passed Every Student Succeeds Act. He also led All4Ed’s effort to increase federal funding for internet access among the nation’s schools and libraries by $1.5 billion annually. Mr. Lovell serves as a frequent spokesperson for the organization and leads Federal Flash, All4Ed’s video series that provides education stakeholders nationwide with regular updates on federal and state education policy.
Mr. Lovell began his career as policy coordinator for the National Crime Prevention Council, best known for its public advertising campaign featuring “McGruff the Crime Dog.” While working for McGruff, he worked with colleague organizations to develop and advocate for the Younger Americans Act, legislation designed to create the nation’s first comprehensive federal youth policy. He also cofounded the National Youth Network, a partnership of more than twenty national youth organizations with the U.S. Department of Justice that strengthened the voice of young people regarding juvenile justice during the youth violence epidemic of the late 1990s. Subsequently, as director of public policy for Camp Fire USA, Mr. Lovell represented nearly 750,000 children and youth, advancing issues such as childcare and afterschool programs and leading Camp Fire USA’s efforts to secure federal funds to expand positive youth development programs.
Most recently, Mr. Lovell served as vice president for education, housing, and youth policy at First Focus and America’s Promise Alliance, founded by Ret. General Colin Powell. He represented the organization on Capitol Hill and in the media, raising the visibility of the impact of the “Great Recession” on children, and leading legislation to address the academic and nonacademic needs facing underserved students and high school dropouts. While at America’s Promise Alliance, he led the advocacy effort to pass the Federal Youth Coordination Act, legislation designed to improve coordination and communication among federal agencies serving young people. He also led the advocacy effort to double federal funding for homeless students in the economic stimulus package passed in 2009.
Over the course of his career, Mr. Lovell has written several publications on many issues, including children in the federal budget, homeless children and families, and disconnected youth. His work has been referenced in media outlets including CNN, USA Today, C-span, and Time magazine. Mr. Lovell is frequently called upon by congressional aides to help in the development of legislation to strengthen education policy for underserved students.
Mr. Lovell has an undergraduate degree from Georgetown University in international politics. He and his wife, Beth, have two daughters and a son.
Phillip Lovell is the author of:
Federal Flash: CDC Says, “Back to School (Safely)!”
Blog Post, February 16, 2021
What’s in Biden’s Rescue Plan for Schools?
Blog Post, January 31, 2021
A $54 Billion Christmas Gift for Students
Blog Post, December 22, 2020
A Christmas Gift? Looking at Congress's COVID-19 Relief Bill
Blog Post, December 17, 2020
Federal Flash: A Judge Says “No” to DeVos, the Senate Says “No” to McConnell, and the [...]
Blog Post, September 16, 2020
Federal Flash: USDA Decision Threatens Student Access to Free Meals During COVID-19
Blog Post, August 25, 2020
Federal Flash: Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, George Floyd—Candid, Constructive Conversations [...]
Blog Post, June 05, 2020
Federal Flash: Coronavirus, Closures, and Congress
Blog Post, March 13, 2020
Federal Flash: Congress Puts Higher Education on the Fast Track
Blog Post, November 06, 2019
Federal Flash: What’s in the New Bill to Rewrite the Higher Education Act?
Blog Post, October 18, 2019
Federal Flash: Secretary DeVos is Proposing Changes to the Civil Rights Data Collection
Blog Post, October 04, 2019
Federal Flash: Congress Examines Impact of Gun Violence and Other Trauma on Student Learning
Blog Post, September 16, 2019
Federal Flash: Is the FCC Trying to Limit Wi-Fi in Schools?
Blog Post, June 24, 2019
Federal Flash: Will Trump Support a Congressional Plan to Provide Hope for Dreamers and Save DACA?
Blog Post, June 07, 2019
Federal Flash: Congress Works to Tackle Racial Segregation & Reduce College Remediation
Blog Post, May 17, 2019
Federal Flash: House Democrats Reject Trump’s Cuts to Education Funding
Blog Post, May 10, 2019
Federal Flash: Examining President Trump’s Education Budget
Blog Post, March 15, 2019
Congressional Priorities for Rewriting the Higher Education Act
Blog Post, March 04, 2019
Federal Flash: House Committee Debates Funding for Schools and Infrastructure
Blog Post, February 15, 2019
Federal Flash: The Higher Education Act, Title IX, and the “New” House Education Committee
Blog Post, February 01, 2019
Federal Flash: Senator Alexander Retirement and School Safety Final Report
Blog Post, December 20, 2018
The Biggest K-12 Education Events of 2018
Blog Post, December 14, 2018
Federal Flash: How Will the Election Results Affect Education?
Blog Post, November 09, 2018
Federal Flash: Education Department releases Perkins CTE Guide for states
Blog Post, October 26, 2018
Federal Flash: What’s the Timeline for the New Perkins CTE Law?
Blog Post, October 05, 2018
Federal Flash: Are States Shirking ESSA Responsibilities?
Blog Post, September 28, 2018
Federal Flash: House and Senate Reach Education Funding Agreement
Blog Post, September 17, 2018
Are Federal Policymakers Opening the Door to More Guns in Schools?
Blog Post, September 07, 2018
Federal Flash: DeVos’s Gun Plan
Blog Post, August 24, 2018
Federal Flash: Three Important Things In the New Perkins Career and Technical Education Law
Blog Post, July 27, 2018
Federal Flash: Examining Supreme Court Nominee Brett Kavanaugh’s Record on Education
Blog Post, July 13, 2018
Federal Flash: Democrats and Republicans Work Together to Advance Important Education Bill
Blog Post, June 29, 2018
Federal Flash: Implications of Trump's Executive Order & Updates on Education Funding
Blog Post, June 22, 2018
Federal Flash: DeVos Goes to Battle for Budget, But Plays Defense on Policy
Blog Post, June 11, 2018
Federal Flash: In Congressional Testimony, Was DeVos's Response Against the Constitution?
Blog Post, May 24, 2018
What Classifies a Student Subgroup As “Consistently Underperforming?” Here Is What the [...]
Blog Post, December 12, 2017
TESTIMONY OF PHILLIP LOVELL: ESSA Implementation: Exploring State and Local Reform Efforts
Report/Fact Sheet, July 18, 2017
States and the Trump Administration Should Stay the Course with ED’s Accountability Regulations
Article, December 20, 2016
States and the Trump Administration Should Stay the Course with ED’s Accountability Regulations
Blog Post, December 19, 2016
A Rocky Road to Regulation of the Every Student Succeeds Act (#ESSA)
Blog Post, February 11, 2016
Linked Learning Comes to Washington
Blog Post, May 15, 2015
An "Inside-Baseball" Look At the Potential Negative Outcomes of the Alexander-Murray Bill to [...]
Blog Post, April 13, 2015
Vote YES: Portman/Feinstein Amendment Number 271
Report/Fact Sheet, March 17, 2015
Falling Through the Gaps: Homeless Children and Youth
Report/Fact Sheet, April 26, 2012
Institute for Student Achievement Proves that High School Isn’t Too Late to Support Students
Blog Post, July 11, 2011