Amy Ellen Duke-Benfield is a senior policy analyst at CLASP's Center for Postsecondary and Economic Success. Ms. Duke-Benfield's focus is access to and success in postsecondary education and training for low-income students. She analyzes and advocates for federal and state workforce and education policies that better serve low-income adults and provides technical assistance to federal, state and local advocates and governments in these areas.  She also directed CLASP’s Benefits Access for College Completion initiative, which sought to increase access to public

benefits and financial aid for low-income students at colleges across the country. Prior to this project, she spearheaded CLASP's work around the Higher Education Act and related federal postsecondary legislation, as well as Title II of the Workforce Investment Act (the Adult Education and Family Literacy Act). Previously, Ms. Duke-Benfield was a research associate at the Urban Institute where she contributed to several evaluations of state-level welfare reform and anti-poverty programs. She holds an undergraduate degree from Swarthmore College and a master's degree from Emory University.