Managing Director, Policy and Advocacy
Taylor Stanek joined NEFE in 2025 as managing director of the Policy and Advocacy Team. In this role Taylor oversees strategy, operations, outreach and staff for the organization’s public policy, advocacy and government affairs efforts.
Throughout his career, Taylor has focused on improving educational access, affordability and outcomes for all Americans. Prior to joining NEFE, he managed operations and strategy for Guild Education's Learning Marketplace, helping to enable hundreds of thousands of students to access high quality educational opportunities through their employers’ tuition benefit programs. Taylor began his career as a policy advisor and legislative liaison for the U.S. Department of Education under President Obama, where he focused on higher education and federal student aid policy issues.
Taylor earned his master’s degree in public policy and his bachelor’s degree in political science from George Washington University. Outside of work, you can usually find him on a pair of skis or a bicycle, or on a Denver brewery patio with his husband, Daniel, and their dogs, Leela and Truman.