Sol Pelavin

Sol Pelavin served as president and chief executive officer of AIR from 2001-2010, after serving as AIR’s executive vice president, chief operating officer, and chief financial officer. Prior to joining AIR, he founded the Pelavin Associates education research firm in 1982. It was acquired by AIR in 1994 to form one of the nation’s leading behavioral and social science research organizations. Under his leadership, AIR grew from several hundred employees to more than 1,500 and increased its revenues over 20-fold.

Pelavin taught high school mathematics, developed mathematics curricula, and supervised MAT students before starting his career in research. He has directed a variety of influential studies, from evaluating the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education to determine the fund’s impact on the field of postsecondary education, to conducting research that led to the creation of Equity 2000, a College Board program to increase the number of minority and economically disadvantaged students attending college. In addition, Pelavin has been the author or co-author of numerous studies, including Changing the Odds: Factors Increasing Access to College; and Minority Participation in Higher Education.

Pelavin holds advanced degrees from the University of Chicago and Stanford University.