Edna Primrose

Edna Primrose is the Director of Policy for the Education and Society Program at the Aspen Institute. In this role, she leads programs that seek to address poverty in America by fostering connections across education, economic and social mobility, and equity. Prior to joining Aspen, Ms. Primrose served as Assistant Administrator for Water and Environmental Programs and Chief Operating Officer at the U.S. Department of Agriculture. She led national programs to enhance rural communities’ access to water and waste infrastructure and promote education and workforce initiatives.

Ms. Primrose also served over a decade in local and national leadership positions, including National Director for the U.S. Department of Labor’s Job Corps Program, a national education and training program for low-income youth. She began her career in the labor movement, managing training and equity programs in the construction industry. She has served on distinguished Governance Boards and Councils that included the National Forum on Youth Violence Prevention, a White House initiative, and Advisor for the United States Federal Committee on Apprenticeship. She currently serves on multiple boards at her alma mater, Towson University.