Speaking — Akil Bello

Ideas + Themes

Each category represents a cluster of talks — keynotes, workshops, and briefings — delivered to audiences ranging from university administrators to Fortune 500 executives to public school parents.

Policy, Systems & Better Decision-Making

Closing the gap between policy promise and student reality.

"Higher ed is absolutely worth it. But it's not worth it at any cost." For institutional leaders, policymakers, and foundations responsible for systems that shape access — evidence-based, implementation-aware, and unsparing about what the data actually shows.

Private admissions policy briefingsGates Foundation · 2023–24

Is Testing an Aid or Obstacle to Justice?Harvard SDP · 2024

The Purpose of Higher EducationMercy University · 2024

State of Admission Testing — Legislative BriefingNEBHE · 2024

Admissions, Rankings & Institutional Choice

What actually makes a good college?

"Graduation rate I think is a terrible statistic because the way it's calculated is terrible." Transfer success counts too. Add it back in and a very different picture emerges. "You know what makes it really hard to graduate college? Being poor. So of course this chart makes sense — it's essentially arranged by the money of the students who get in."

What's a Good School?Lectures on Tap · 2026

Rankings, Ratings, and RecruitingAmazon · 2021

The Highway to Higher EducationNJACAC · 2025

The State of Admission TestingNEBHE · 2024

Access, Opportunity & Equity

Who gets in, who succeeds, who gets written off?

"It's really bizarre to me when certain test writers tell you a test they took in 11th grade is predictive of their results in college 6, 7 years later — but go ahead and ignore financial aid along the way. How does that make any sense?" The same policies that promise to open doors often function as gatekeepers.

The Spirit of EquityNYSACAC · 2023

Action, Advocacy, and ExcellenceIACAC · 2019

Structural Racism in MediaAAPF · 2024

Reflecting, Reacting, Moving ForwardAPACS · 2024

Merit, Measurement & Meaning

What are tests actually measuring?

I gave a room of 200 college admissions professionals 60 seconds to answer an ACT question. One person got it. "How many of you decided not to do it? And if you had your hand up and you work in a college — think about that." The point isn't that the test is hard. It's that we have to think about the metrics we're using to determine whether someone is qualified to try to learn.

Precision or Deception: What Are Tests Really Measuring?Lectures on Tap · 2026

Is Testing an Aid or Obstacle to Justice?Harvard SDP · 2024

Metrics, Merit and OpportunityColumbia Teachers College · 2023

Shattering the Status QuoOACAC · 2023

Families, Students & Practical Navigation

Finding the right college without the mythology.

"Don't hyperfocus on one brand. College is a waystation along the way — it's not the be-all end-all of existence." Practical guidance for families on tests, admissions, rankings, and financial aid. For the vast majority of students, finding a college that will admit them is as easy as finding a good restaurant in New York City.

What's a Good School? How to Choose WellLectures on Tap

Understanding Tests, Scores, and What They MeanJack and Jill · YMCA · A Better Chance

College Access and FAFSA CompletionSUNY / NYC Public Schools

Testing & Assessment

Where the arguments are data — and where they're marketing.

I have taken five versions of the SAT, three versions of the SHSAT, the GMAT, GRE, and two versions of the LSAT — "sport testing," registering for and taking official admission tests for research, not to get into school. I know where the arguments are data, and where they're marketing.

Test Optional — Myths, Realities, PolicyMultiple venues

The Design and Use of the GMATGMAC · 2010

Two Key Questions About HS Admissions TestingNYC Council

Precision or Deception?Lectures on Tap · 2026

What Audiences Say

Akil Bello at Lectures on Tap, Brooklyn, April 2026

"I did not want any more time to pass without applauding and sending you your flowers. Your presentation was stellar, engaging, and just damn good."

Kimberly Taylor-Benns, Ed.D. AVP and Dean for Enrollment Management, La Salle University

"Everyone agreed you were the best and most engaging keynote speaker we've seen."

Melodie BakerJust Equations

"Thank you for an incredible and inspiring conversation! You will be receiving an influx of emails of institutions wanting to grab you up for a talk."

Edith Perez-MontanezAssistant Director of CSTEP

"I have been following his work for years and always knew we would resonate with the incredible staff and faculty at Mercy. Boy, did he deliver."

Adam CastroMercy University

Notable Engagements

Is Testing an Aid or Obstacle to Justice?

Center for Education Policy Research · Harvard University

Plenary address to researchers, policymakers, and institutional leaders on the role of standardized testing in educational equity, presented at one of the country's leading education research convenings. 2024

Admission Reimagined

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Invited policy presentation to foundation leadership on reimagining college admissions in a post-affirmative action landscape. One of three separate Gates Foundation engagements spanning 2023–2024.

Mathematics of Merit

Just Equations · Annual Conference

Welcome keynote for the annual conference of a leading math equity organization on how the language of merit, measurement, and rigor shapes who gets access to educational opportunity. 2022

Mismeasurement of Merit

African American Policy Forum · CRT Summer School

Plenary session at Kimberlé Crenshaw's CRT Summer School on how standardized metrics encode and perpetuate structural inequality in education. 2023

Rankings, Ratings, and Recruiting

Amazon · Diversity Learning Weeks

Keynote for Amazon's Diversity Learning Weeks, bringing an education equity lens to talent acquisition, hiring metrics, and the hidden assumptions behind ranking and recruiting systems. 2021

Minorities and the GMAT

GMAC · Annual Industry Conference

Invited to present at the Annual Industry Conference to graduate business education leaders and admissions professionals on test-taking strategies and access barriers among underrepresented applicants. 2010

Objective Tests in Subjective Context

Sidwell Friends School

Presentation to high school leadership and the admissions team at one of Washington D.C.'s most prominent private schools, examining how the ISEE and SSAT factor into their admissions policies and decisions. 2018

The Purpose of Higher Education

Mercy University · All Hands Meeting

All-hands keynote address to the full university community on access, institutional mission, and what higher education is actually for. 2024

Leveraging New Tools for Programs, Engagement, and Efficiency

White Plains Youth Bureau

Professional development workshop on AI tools for nonprofit program delivery, community engagement, and organizational efficiency. 2024

Lectures on Tap Rejective or Selective: What Makes a Good School?	July 23, 2026 · Brooklyn, NY
UNMUTED Salvation or Skynet U?	Sep 10, 2026 · Brooklyn, NY
NACAC Count What Counts: Using the Right Data in College Access Work	Oct 8–10, 2026 · Minneapolis, MN

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