AMERICAN STUDENT ASSISTANCE - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Board of Directors
- Senior Advisor to Future Now
Alex is an entrepreneur with a focus on education and social enterprise. In 2004, Alex co-founded Flocabulary, a music-based learning platform for students in grades K-12. Under Alex's leadership as CEO for the past 15 years, Flocabulary reached millions of students around the world and grew into one of the most unique and recognizable brands in K-12 education. In addition to partnering with some of the nation's largest school districts, Flocabulary also formed partnerships with Turnaround Arts, Bill and Melinda Gates, and The UN. In 2019, Alex led Flocabulary through a successful acquisition by Nearpod. Together, the two companies support students and educators through a comprehensive learning and engagement platform.
Alex currently serves as a Senior Advisor to Future Now, a political organization focused on elections and policy at the state level. He is also on the advisory board of Music in Schools Today, a nonprofit that supports and develops music programming to help underserved students achieve. Fast Company magazine named him one of the Most Creative People in Business, and he is an Executive Member of the International Association of Digital Arts and Sciences (IADAS). A frequent speaker on education, innovation, and entrepreneurship, Alex has presented at the World Knowledge Forum in Seoul, Korea, the Yidan Prize Summit in Hong Kong and at dozens of education and business events across the United States. He graduated from Tufts University with a degree in music and lives in Brooklyn, NY with his wife and two daughters.
Job Titles:
- SVP of Product Operations
Alisa works closely with the Senior Management Team to develop and execute successful mission-aligned programs throughout the organization. She is responsible for the definition of program impact and outcomes measurement. Alisa is committed to helping students find their strengths and interests early so they can better inform their educational and career choices.
Job Titles:
- Chief Human Resources Officer
Angie brings two decades of nonprofit and corporate experience to ASA, which will guide her in developing programs and policies supporting ASA's diversity and inclusion practices, benefits and compensation, employee training and development, and cultivation of a consistent cultural experience for all employees, regardless of their work location. She will also direct change management initiatives and manage internal communications.
Angie comes to ASA from Oxfam America, where she oversaw all HR matters in America and served as the lead for Oxfam International, and inter-affiliate human resources strategic and leadership initiatives. She previously served as Director of Human Resources, North America at Navitas, a leading global educational provider, delivering educational services and learning solutions at over 120 colleges and university locations across 27 countries.
She earned her B.A. from Emmanuel College and holds a Certificate in Human Resources Management from Eastern Nazarene College. She has held board member positions on several boards including the Urban League of Eastern Massachusetts and, currently, the Immigrant Family Services Institute.
Barbara works with the Board of Directors and Senior Management Team to develop and drive the strategic, operational, and financial direction of the organization.
Since joining in 2007, Barbara has introduced a rigorous business planning capability critical to the organization's long-term viability in the face of regulatory changes. She led the implementation of a tiered investment strategy that increased net assets from $130m to $600m and served as the business partner in organizational restructuring that reduced expenses by 70% while dramatically improving business performance.
Job Titles:
- Vice President of Technology
Cameron Logan is the Vice President of Technology at American Student Assistance® (ASA) where he works closely with the senior management team to support ASA's digital strategy, direct ASA's information security programs, and manage the full range of technology resources employed to support ASA's mission.
Cameron has over 20 years of experience in senior leadership and chief officer roles across technology consultancies, digital agencies, and educational and institutional non-profits. Cameron excels at building and leading diverse teams of web developers, digital operations specialists, security professionals, and IT engineers towards the design, development and support of business critical IT and digital solutions.
Cameron holds an A.B. from Princeton University and a Ph.D. from Harvard University.
Job Titles:
- Board of Directors
- Vice President for Program Strategy at the W.K. Kellogg Foundation
Carla is Vice President for program strategy at the W.K. Kellogg Foundation in Battle Creek, Michigan where she supports efforts to promote thriving children, working families, and equitable communities.
Since June 2021, Carmela has been working with the Executive Vice President, CFO, and the Senior Management Team to develop, implement, and ensure financial programs, processes, and initiatives to effectively support ASA's overall mission, goals, and objectives.
More than 18 years of fiscal management experience working with not-for-profits and five years of public accounting experience. She has worked extensively with Board of Directors, Audit, Finance, and Investment Committees.
Previously served as Vice President of Finance at Combined Jewish Philanthropies of Greater Boston (CJP) where she managed the significant growth of over $2 billion in philanthropic assets and all financial aspects of annual campaign fundraising and grantmaking.
Job Titles:
- Vice Chair of the Board of Directors
- Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Fulp Diversity Consultants
Carol is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Fulp Diversity Consultants, where she assists CEOs and their organizations in advancing diversity and inclusion. She previously served as President and CEO of The Partnership, the nationally recognized professional services firm that helps organizations advance and retain multi-culturals. She is also the author of Success Through Diversity: Why The Most Inclusive Companies Will Win, a book praised by Publishers Weekly and Booklist.
Given her own experiences in the workplace and in advising companies on diversity practice, Carol is deeply committed to promoting how people of different races and ethnicities represent an essential asset to contemporary companies and organizations.
She serves on the board of trustees for Eastern Bank and as well as the board of directors for the New England College of Business and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. Her civic involvement includes the Harvard Kennedy School Women's Leadership Board, trustee of the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library Foundation, as well as founding co-chair of the Massachusetts Conference for Women, the largest professional women's conference in the country.
Carol received the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce Distinguished Bostonian Award, was noted as one of the "50 Most Influential Bostonians" by Boston Business Journal, and named one of the "21 Most Powerful People in Boston Business" by Boston Magazine in 2017.
A graduate of the University of the State of New York, she also received honorary doctorates from New England Law Boston, Salem State University, and Suffolk University Sawyer Business School, where she served as commencement speaker.
Since 2008, Christopher has been head of the legal team and advisor to the Board of Directors and management. He has been instrumental in helping the organization navigate the many changes that resulted from the federal government's takeover of all federal student lending in 2010. He also played a key role in the development of ASA's newer programs such as college planning services, the Salt financial literacy program, and the most recent focus on helping middle and high schoolers discover their aptitudes and develop their career paths.
Job Titles:
- CMO and SVP of Digital Strategy
Clay works closely with the Senior Management Team in the design and deployment of initiatives that drive fulfillment of ASA's mission. He and his team focus on creating transformational digital experiences to support today's youth in the development of their higher education and career plans.
Emily McCann is a Social Entrepreneur and former CEO of Citizen Schools, a national nonprofit devoted to education equity. Prior to her role as CEO, Emily served as Chief Financial Officer, Chief Operating Officer, and President during her 13-year tenure with Citizen Schools. She played an instrumental role in launching new regions, building the organization's infrastructure and overseeing growth strategy, business planning, and financial management. Under Emily's leadership, Citizen Schools has served over 45,000 students and engaged 10,000 volunteers in its expanded day programs and has supported teachers and communities in offering Citizen Schools' signature blend of mentorship and hands-on, real world learning to nearly 200,000 high-need students across 22 communities. Emily represents Citizen Schools on several Commissions and Advisory Boards, including the Aspen Institute's National Commission on Social, Emotional, and Academic Development Partners' Collaborative.
Prior to joining Citizen Schools, Emily worked as an Associate in Business Planning and Development for the Walt Disney Corporation, supporting the design and development of new cruise ships, resorts, and attractions for Disney's leading theme park, Walt Disney World. Emily also served as an Associate in J.P. Morgan's North American Chemicals Mergers & Acquisitions Department, where she supported the analysis and closure of multiple deals. Currently, Emily serves on several National Advisory Boards including Fiduciary Trust's Charitable Foundation, Teach Plus, and Good Sports. She also serves as a member of Harvard Business School's Social Impact Steering Committee and as a dedicated coach and volunteer in the Needham Public Schools.
Emily graduated cum laude with a degree in English Language and Literature from Harvard University in 1994 and earned an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School in 1999.
She lives in Needham, MA with her husband Sean, a secondary school history teacher, coach and admissions officer, and their four children.
Job Titles:
- Vice President of Marketing
Greg Smith is the Vice President of Marketing at American Student Assistance and is responsible for translating our annual business objectives into strategic marketing plans and leading the marketing team to concept, create and execute the digital campaigns that impact millions of students each year.
He brings over 25 years of corporate strategy, brand development and global marketing experience to ASA with a career that has spanned the technology, banking and financial services industries. In prior agency and client roles, Greg partnered with executives at companies such as American Express, EMC and Citizens Commercial Bank to envision how their marketing organizations must evolve to embrace the digital world and to transform their go-to-market strategies as the power shifted from companies to consumers.
Greg holds a BS in Business and Finance from Saint Michael's College.
Jean develops and drives the overall strategic direction of ASA. In the fall of 2016, she began an evaluation of the organization's direction and purpose to better align ASA's strengths with highest student impact areas.
During her tenure, ASA has pivoted from a 65-year history of helping students with college financing and repayment options to a new focus of helping students discover potential career paths earlier in their education journey, before financing or repayment need occur. Working with the Board and her Senior Management Team, she has successfully shifted ASA's focus and direction to help kids - as early as middle school - to know themselves, know their options, and make informed choices about their education and career goals.
Job Titles:
- SVP of Public Relations, Communications and Planning
Judy works for the Chief Executive Officer and the leadership team to help ASA and its partners propel the mission to engage K-12 students in career exploration and experimentation. Judy believes that every student deserves access to quality education-regardless of race, geography, or circumstance-including ample opportunities to acquire information needed to make informed decisions on their career and college pathways.
Judy is a results-driven senior leader with the ability to move seamlessly between strategy and execution.
Job Titles:
- SVP of Advocacy and Corporate Social Responsibility
Since March 2010, Julie has been leading ASA's government relations and advocacy efforts on both the federal and state level helping to build relationships with elected officials and promote ASA's legislative priorities. She also oversees the Education and Career Planning Division of ASA which provides direct college and career based services to kids through in-school programing and community based centers.
Job Titles:
- Board of Directors
- Vice President and Chief Financial Officer at John T
Ken is the Vice President and Chief Financial Officer at John T. and Catherine D. MacArthur Foundation, the ninth-largest foundation with $6.8B in assets. He oversees the finance, accounting, and administrative functions. Ken has worked in the nonprofit sector for the last 15 years, most recently as VP and CFO of the Annie E. Casey Foundation. He previously held corporate finance positions at Prudential, Ford Motor, Pfizer and Mirant corporations.
Job Titles:
- VP of Investments and Financial Analysis
Kyle Morin joined American Student Assistance (ASA) in May 2022 as Vice President of Investments and Financial Analysis working with the Executive Vice President and CFO along with the Senior Management Team to develop and implement investment oversight, financial reporting, and analytics to effectively support ASA's overall mission, goals, and objectives.
Kyle has more than 16 years experience in institutional investments focusing on controls, reporting and asset manager oversight. Prior to joining ASA, Kyle held a managerial role as Head of Operational Due Diligence at MassMutual, where he was responsible for diligence of institutional fund managers as well as other financial reporting obligations.
Kyle began his investment career as manager of pricing of securities and derivatives with Barings (fka Babson Capital Management), then continued into Internal Audit and Fund Administration as Assistant Treasurer for MassMutual's retail mutual funds.
Kyle holds a BS in Business Management from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.
Job Titles:
- Chairman of the Board of Directors
- Adjunct Professor at Boston College Law School
Lawrence is a corporate and transactional lawyer and the co-founder of Gennari Aronson, LLP, a boutique law firm serving public and private companies in a variety of industries, as well as entrepreneurs, investors, executives, and board members.
Larry started his career at Ropes & Gray and prior to forming Gennari Aronson, he was a Partner at Choate Hall & Stewart in Boston. He carries a Martindale-Hubbell AV® Preeminent™ rating and has been named a New England Super Lawyer for both mergers & acquisitions and securities and corporate finance since the inception of the publication. In a recent New England Super Lawyers edition, Larry was ranked in the New England Top 100 Lawyers category.
For more than fifteen years as an Adjunct Professor at Boston College Law School, Larry taught courses on Mergers & Acquisitions, Corporate Finance, and Advising Entrepreneurs. He developed one of the Law School's newest courses, Project Entrepreneur, a student-led business fundamentals bootcamp for entrepreneurs with criminal records, many of whom were previously incarcerated. Larry frequently comments and contributes on corporate finance, venture capital, and entrepreneurial topics in publications and as a guest speaker at industry events and seminars.
He earned a J.D. from the College of William and Mary, where he served as editor-in-chief of the William & Mary Law Review, as well as a B.S. in Accounting, summa cum laude, from North Adams State College, where he was the Massachusetts Society of CPA's outstanding student.
Patty Diaz-Andrade is a first-generation college graduate who joined OneGoal as the founding Executive Director of OneGoal, Massachusetts. In this role, Patty launched the OneGoal program across six Massachusetts school districts (enrolling 600+ students in the program), secured close to $4M across the region's critical start-up years, and built an incredible team highly focused on student post-secondary success. Patty now leads the New Delivery Model work with the hopes of aggressively accelerating OneGoal's reach across the country and in so doing, closing the degree divide in America.
Prior to joining OneGoal, Patty directed the Strategic Data Project fellowship program at the Harvard Graduate School of Education's Center for Education Policy Research. She began her career in education as a teacher in New York City, after earning a B.A. from Cornell University in Government and Economics. Patty also holds a M.A. in Quantitative Methods in the Social Sciences from Columbia University and a Ph.D. in Educational Leadership from the Steinhardt Graduate School of Education at New York University. She is a mother to two boys - Noah and Ivan.
Job Titles:
- CEO
- Board of Directors
- Expert at Building SaaS
Peter is a CEO with a successful track record of growing innovative software and service businesses in the education, human capital management, and healthcare industries. As Managing Director at Insight Venture Partners, Peter evaluates potential investments with the investment team, and serves as mentor and executive coach to Executive teams.
Peter is an expert at building SaaS businesses, and is passionate about growing companies with positive, team-oriented cultures that create meaningful value for all stakeholders: customers, employees, partners, and investors.
Job Titles:
- VP of Mission Impact Investing
Since January 2022, Rilwan has managed ASA's Impact portfolio, performance, and partnerships. His focus is to deepen ASA's impact within the education ecosystem by fostering innovation that provides millions of students with career readiness learning experiences aimed at changing the way young people learn about careers.
Previously Head of Impact investing at MassMutual where he created new programs within the firm that focused on impact allocations to both funds and direct investments.
Past Managing Director for Flat World Partners where he analyzed and invested in global impact opportunities.
Job Titles:
- Director of PR and Communications
Sandy Dawkins
Director of PR and Communications
press@asa.org
Job Titles:
- Advisory Board Member of Sasaki Foundation
- Board of Directors
- Chief Executive Officer of Volvo Car Mobility
Stephanie is the Chief Executive Officer of Volvo Car Mobility, USA, a shared mobility service dedicated to providing city residents a high quality alternative to car ownership. She is also the Founder & CEO of SMC Ventures, a strategy and management consulting firm that specializes in scaling businesses, funding sources, and marketing and partnership strategies. Stephanie is a passionate advocate for mentoring and empowering young women.
Stephanie is an Advisory Board member of Sasaki Foundation, a Babson College WIN Lab Mastermind Executive in Residence, and an angel investor. She holds a B.A. from Mount Holyoke College and an M.B.A. from the Harvard Business School.
Thomas was appointed by the Massachusetts Educational Financing Authority (MEFA) Board of Directors as its Executive Director in December 1999. MEFA is a not-for-profit, self-financing state authority whose mission is to promote the economic development of the Massachusetts higher education industry by helping families plan, save, and pay for college. For nearly twenty years, Thomas has led MEFA in expanding education financing services to the students and families in Massachusetts.
Thomas began his public service career in 1979 as a legislative aid. Since then, he has served as Co-Director of the Governor's Legislative Office, Deputy Budget Director of the Fiscal Affairs Division, and Budget Director for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
In addition to his current role at MEFA, Thomas also serves on a number of local community boards. He holds a B.S. in Business Administration from Merrimack College.