American Student Assistance ® (ASA), a national nonprofit changing the way kids learn about careers and navigate a path to postsecondary education and career success, today announced the appointment of three new members to its Board of Directors: Margaret Ng, Daniel Acheampong, and Dr. J.D. LaRock, effective immediately. The appointment brings the Board to 10 directors, and the complete list can be found here.
“We are very excited to welcome Ms. Ng, Mr. Acheampong, and Dr. J.D. LaRock to the Board,” said Jean Eddy, CEO & President of ASA. “Their collective breadth of experience in gaming/education technology, social impact investing, and entrepreneurship education –combined with diversity of thought and deep understanding of learning needs of youth from diverse backgrounds — will be instrumental in guiding ASA’s strategic direction, as we redouble our efforts to help every young person make informed, confident decisions about their future planning.”
Mr. Acheampong is a Co-Founder and General Partner at Visible Hands, a venture capital firm that funds and empowers underrepresented founders launching high-growth start-ups. At the earliest stages of company-building, Visible Hands provides meaningful funding, personalized support, and social capital, helping its founders build exceptional technology startups. Daniel oversees investment processes at Visible Hands. He received a dual Master’s in Business Administration from the Wharton School and Public Administration from Harvard Kennedy School. Prior to graduate school, Daniel was an associate at Summit Partners, a premier investment firm, where he managed the firm’s due diligence process to raise investment funds. Previously, he was a financial analyst at Goldman Sachs, where he supported senior management in supervising the New England Private Wealth Management business. Daniel received his Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Brandeis University, where he was a Posse Scholar and Gates Millennium Scholar. He is an Entrepreneur in Residence at MIT’s DesignX and Venture Advisor at Tsai Center for Innovative Thinking at Yale University; a national board member of The Posse Foundation; and he has been recognized as a 2023 Boston Business Journal Power 50: Movement Makers.
Ms. Ng is a seasoned video game production executive, team leader, and people-whisperer. With a career spanning over two and half decades in web products and game development, her games have brought joy to both the young and the young at heart. Margaret’s skill sets are deeply rooted in understanding audience needs, honing operations to peak efficiency, and nurturing team dynamics. She has been at the forefront of launching and managing live products for industry leaders such as Snapfish.com, Electronic Arts, Zynga, and Riot Games. At Riot Games, Ms. Ng served on the Diversity and Inclusion Council to guide the company in matters dealing with BIPOC, LGBTQ+ and parent communities. Through her consultancy, she offers a guiding hand to companies from start-ups to established corporations, as they navigate the complex process of delivering creative projects and navigating through difficult change. She holds a BA in Economics with a minor in International Area Studies from UCLA. She further pursued a Juris Doctorate at Loyola Law School and practiced law in California. In addition, she is a trained life and professional development coach through the Coaches Training Institute (CTI).
A respected educator, scholar, and policy expert, Dr. LaRock joined NFTE from the Commonwealth Corporation, Massachusetts’ public-private state authority focused on workforce development and regional economic development. As president and CEO of Commonwealth, Dr. LaRock chaired Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker’s Commission on Digital Innovation and Lifelong Learning, producing a blueprint for innovative work-based learning models that garnered significant investment from major foundations. Previously he served as a senior education advisor to the late U.S. Senator Ted Kennedy, leading work on the renewal of the federal Higher Education Act, as well as passage of a law that provided $20 billion in new Pell Grants to college students. As education policy director for former Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick, he helped author a K-12 education law that enabled turnarounds in low-performing school districts and helped the state win $250 million through the U.S. Department of Education’s “Race to the Top” program. For much of the past decade, Dr. LaRock has worked as a teacher, scholar, and university administrator focused on experiential learning, entrepreneurship, and the future of work. As chief of staff to the president of Northeastern University, he served on the leadership team that completed the institution’s transformation from a commuter college to a top-ranked global research university. He has also served as Professor of the Practice of Law and Policy at Northeastern and as a Fellow with the Aspen Institute’s Economic Opportunities program. Dr. LaRock earned his bachelor’s, master’s, and doctorate at Harvard University and his law degree at Georgetown University.
About American Student Assistance® (ASA)
American Student Assistance® (ASA) is a national nonprofit changing the way kids learn about careers and navigate a path to postsecondary education and career success. ASA believes all students should have equitable access to career readiness learning, starting in middle school, so they will be equipped to make informed, confident decisions about their futures. ASA fulfills its mission by providing free digital-first experiences, including Futurescape® and Next Voice™, and EvolveMe™, directly to millions of students, and through impact investing and philanthropic support for educators, intermediaries, and others. To learn more about ASA, visit www.asa.org/about-asa.