Cheryl Oldham
- Former Senior Vice President, U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation
- Former Vice President, Education & Workforce Policy, U.S. Chamber of Commerce
Cheryl A. Oldham was formerly senior vice president of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation and vice president of education and workforce policy at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. She served on the Foundation’s leadership team, informing its strategic direction and leading its portfolio of work on education and workforce—the underpinnings of American competitiveness and prosperity. Oldham set the vision and managed a multi-million-dollar program of work in early childhood education and childcare; K-12 education; and postsecondary education, skills, and training.
She has 30 years of experience spanning state and federal government as well as the private sector. Her previous experience includes serving for eight years in President George W. Bush’s administration where she held several leadership positions. Oldham served as acting assistant secretary for postsecondary education at the U.S. Department of Education, chief of staff to the undersecretary, and executive director of the Commission on the Future of Higher Education. The Commission was the first of its kind to look at needed reforms in higher education related to accessibility, affordability, and accountability and produced a seminal report titled “A Test of Leadership: Charting the Future of U.S. Higher Education.”
Oldham is a recognized leader and speaker on these issues and has been published in numerous outlets including Forbes, The Hill, U.S. News & World Report, and HuffPost.
Oldham was appointed by Governor Glenn Youngkin to the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia. She also serves on the Achieve Workforce Fund Advisory Board and Strategic Education Inc.’s Hire Board. Oldham received her Juris Doctor from St. Mary’s University School of Law and her Bachelor of Arts from Texas Christian University. She resides in Alexandria, Virginia, with her two sons, Jeffrey and Dylan.
