Collin Gortner is a dedicated advocate for policies that empower families and promote equal opportunity in K-12 education. Since 2022, Collin has served as the Associate Director of the Program for Educational Access (PEA) at the University of Notre Dame’s Alliance for Catholic Education (ACE). In this role, he leads initiatives aimed at forming leaders, strengthening advocacy, and advancing policy. He facilitates the Reform Leaders’ Summit, a year-long policy fellowship designed for Catholic school advocates. Collin plays a key role in supporting the American Indian Catholic Schools Network and the Frassati Internship, two additional ACE programs. At Notre Dame, Collin teaches the Moreau First Year Experience, a course for first-year students, and serves as a teaching assistant for Education Law & Policy, an undergraduate political science course.

Previously, Collin taught middle school social studies and writing at St. Charles Borromeo Catholic School in Oklahoma City while concurrently earning his M.Ed. as a member of the 27th cohort of ACE Teaching Fellows. Teaching greatly influenced Collin’s views on K-12 education policy.

Collin graduated from the University of Notre Dame in 2020, where he studied Political Science with minors in Constitutional Studies and Education, Schooling, & Society. During his time at Notre Dame, he was active in intramural sports, interned for Mayor Pete Buttigieg, and volunteered at the Center for the Homeless. As an undergraduate, Collin published articles on Indigenous education in the Journal of the West and wrote a senior thesis on the urban-rural divide in Illinois politics.

During his time as a classroom teacher, Collin presented on best practices related to instruction and lesson planning in social studies courses at education conferences such as the Western History Association and the Oklahoma Council for History Education. His passion for education policy and teaching continues to shape his career, as he works toward ensuring greater access and opportunity for all students.

Originally from Monticello, Illinois, Collin and his wife, Maddi, now reside in South Bend, Indiana.