ASA Speaker Bureau
Invite an ASA thought leader to speak at, participate in or moderate your next K-12 Career Readiness event or panel discussion.
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Invite an ASA thought leader to speak at, participate in or moderate your next K-12 Career Readiness event or panel discussion.
At American Student Assistance® (ASA), we are changing the way kids learn about careers and prepare for their futures through equitable access to career readiness information and experiences. ASA fulfills this mission by providing free digital experiences directly to millions of students, and through advocacy, philanthropic support for mission-aligned organizations and policies, impact investing, and thought leadership.
Our thought leaders are expert speakers on a variety of career readiness topics, including:
To invite a thought leader to speak at your next event, or for more information on our Speakers Bureau, please contact [email protected] or click below (please allow 48 hours for a response).
Jean works with the ASA Board of Directors and the senior management team to develop and drive the overall strategic direction of the organization. Having served on the ASA Board for 20 years and held numerous positions in higher education leadership, she is deeply committed to helping kids – as early as middle school – know themselves, know their options, and make informed choices about their education and career goals. She is a recognized expert in building student-focused infrastructures at higher education institutions and outstanding communicator.
Jean is also an author of a new book, Crisis-Proofing Today’s Learners: Reimagining Career Education to Prepare Kids for Tomorrow’s World, a thought-provoking examination of today’s education system and workforce preparedness. The book explores the career readiness pathways today’s middle and high schoolers take and how a different educational approach could prepare them for the detours life presents.
Judy works with the CEO and leadership team to help ASA and its partners fulfill its mission to engage K-12 students in career exploration and experimentation. She believes that every student deserves access to quality education—regardless of race, geography, or circumstance—including ample opportunities to acquire the information needed to make informed decisions on their career and college pathways.
Judy has more than 30 years of experience in the education sector. Most recently she was the SVP of Marketing, MSI information Services, where she ushered in a digital transformation strategy for three news journals and a book distributor serving K-12 schools and public libraries.
At Pearson Education, she spearheaded a K-20 marketing communication strategy and directed a K-12 operational project management office. Earlier in her career, Judy worked at advertising agencies, public relations firms, and in children’s trade book and magazine publishing.
Judy is a member of the Content Curation Council for SOCAP. She holds degrees from Pennsylvania State University and certifications in Prosci Change Management and Lean Six Sigma.
Rilwan leads ASA’s $150 million Impact program, which focuses on investing in funds and private companies. The program was created to deepen ASA’s impact within the education and career readiness ecosystem by fostering innovation to provide millions of students with learning experiences that change the way young people learn.
Previously, Rilwan was the Head of Impact investing at MassMutual, where he created new programs focused on impact allocations to both funds and direct investments as well as diverse managers and entrepreneurs. His prior positions include Managing Director for Flat World Partners, Chief Investment Officer of Leopard Capital, Director for Swicorp and 20 years in venture capital and private equity.
Rilwan holds an MBA from the University of Chicago and BBA in Finance from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.
Julie leads ASA’s government relations, advocacy, and philanthropic giving activities, working to impact change through both policy and philanthropic investment and expand opportunities for students.
Prior to ASA, Julie worked for over nine years as Congressional Aide to US Senator Edward M. Kennedy and his successor, Senator Paul Kirk, Jr. In that role she managed public outreach to constituent groups on national policy related to education, the arts, environment and welfare issues.
She is a graduate of Northeastern University, Suffolk University Law School, and is a member of the Massachusetts Bar.
Clay works closely with the ASA Senior Management Team to design and deploy initiatives that fulfill its mission. He leads a team focused on creating transformational digital experiences to support today’s youth in the development of their higher education and career plans.
Clay has 15 years of experience leading high-impact teams responsible for the delivery of consumer insight driven digital experiences and omni-channel marketing programs. He holds a B.A. from Tufts University and a MBA from Babson College.
Angie sets the direction on culture at ASA and leads teams to improve and transform Human Resources function and practices.
During her 20+ years in Human Resources, Angie has worked in a variety of roles in the Higher Education, Transportation, and Hospitality industries. Her accomplishments include overseeing the implementation of a HRIS and payroll systems, performance management tools, and leadership development.
Angie has held board member positions on the Urban League of Eastern Massachusetts and the Immigrant Family Services Institute.
With over 15 years of experience in workforce and education, Lee is passionate about driving innovative approaches to post-secondary education through partnerships. In his current role, Lee builds partnerships with digital organizations focused on preparing kids for life after high school.
Across Lee’s leadership roles, he has worked with the largest employers across the US to reimagine the relationship between industry and post-secondary education and with educational technology companies to identify the best ways to impact todays youth. He has a Bachelors in Government Affairs and an MA in Organizational leadership.
Jing is deeply committed to equipping young people with the knowledge and skills they need to make informed choices about their futures. Currently, she spearheads the implementation, cultivation of grant relationships, and assesses the impact of a diverse array of nonprofit grant initiatives and partnerships at ASA. These endeavors are designed to advance ASA’s mission of changing the way kids learn about careers and prepare for their futures.
Before joining ASA, Jing played pivotal roles in curriculum design, capacity building, and facilitation of student, teacher, parent and medical resident workshops centered around crucial topics relating to sexual decision-making, SEL development, fostering healthy relationships, DEI, and understanding gender identity at Cambridge Health Alliance in Greater Boston and Peer Health Exchange in Chicago. She received her bachelor’s degree from DePaul University in Chicago.
Mike has over a decade of experience in the Marketing Communications space, specializing in social media and digital content management. He joined ASA in 2021 to help the organization optimize and expand its communications strategy through a multi-channel approach, with the goal of reaching business and nonprofit leaders, policymakers, parents, educators, administrators, and other key stakeholders.
In her role as Director of Corporate Social Responsibility for the national nonprofit American Student Assistance, Annie Duong-Turner leads the team responsible for the organization’s philanthropy portfolio, employee engagement and internship program. Prior to joining ASA, Annie served multiple roles at John Hancock, including as the Director, Community Investment – US & Asia Lead, where she implemented a community investment strategy and cross-sector collaborations in the US, and advised on philanthropic initiatives in Asia. She holds a master’s degree in Public Administration from Northeastern University and a bachelor’s degree in Sociology from Suffolk University.