Kvaal previously served in the United States Department of Education and White House Office during the Obama administration.

Kvaal earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in public policy from Stanford University in 1996[1] and a Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School in 2007.

[4] During the first three years of the Obama administration, he was special assistant for economic policy and deputy undersecretary of education.

[5] Early in the administration, Kvaal worked to increase Pell Grants and access to financial aid for college and job training.

[8][9] Kvaal traveled the country to promote the plan and to encourage state and local governments to adopt their own versions.