Sukai Kato-Hopkins

Sukai (pronounced “sky”) joined ESG in 2026 to support the organization’s higher education efforts. As an associate at the firm, she contributes to projects that rethink how higher education, workforce, and economic development stakeholders can work together to deliver a larger impact on long-term student outcomes. Her approach reflects an understanding of the interplay between systems-level issues and student experiences, cultivated by her time working in student affairs, institutional research, program evaluation, and advocacy.

Prior to joining ESG, Sukai was a Research Associate at the Education Insights Center, where she contributed to a multi-year evaluation of institutional effectiveness efforts across the California Community Colleges. Before beginning her statewide work, Sukai worked as an Institutional Research Analyst at Cerritos College in Southeast Los Angeles.

Sukai holds a Master of Arts in Higher Education and Organizational Change and a Bachelor of Arts in Applied Linguistics, with minors in Education and Cognitive Science, both from the University of California, Los Angeles.

Why are you in this work?

I come from a family with early childhood and postsecondary educators in two countries. Learning about how educational systems function in different contexts and supporting their continuous improvement ensures that the transformational power of education is made available to learners of all ages.

Why ESG?

I was drawn to how ESG emphasizes being rooted in our own communities as an important backbone to conducting effective work in education. As a national organization, this culture allows for a rich exchange of stories and ultimately fosters a greater understanding of the educational landscape we live in.