College Access and Success Nonprofit Taps Veteran Technology Executive to Enhance Data and Technology Infrastructure

News provided by

Nov 06, 2023, 11:41 ET

Ali Ayub joins College Possible as inaugural senior vice president of finance, technology, and data to strengthen and scale a data and technology-enhanced student experience

PORTLAND, Ore., Nov. 6, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- College Possible, the pioneering national nonprofit on a mission to boost equitable college access and success by connecting high school and college students from low-income backgrounds with near-peer coaches, today announced the appointment of Ali Ayub as senior vice president of finance, technology, and data. Ayub brings two and a half decades of experience working at the intersection of information technology, education, banking and venture capital, including time serving as the chief digital officer of the International Baccalaureate.

"Even as we explore the impressive capabilities of artificial intelligence that have captured the world's attention during the past year, we know there are certain types of dedicated support that our students need—and qualities like empathy, curiosity, and understanding—that only humans are uniquely equipped to provide. We want to marry the best of high-tech and high-touch to achieve a greater impact for students," said Dr. Siva Kumari, CEO of College Possible. "With Ali's leadership, College Possible aims to harness the power of technology and insights to deliver an even stronger student experience—enabling us to scale the reach and impact of our near-peer coaching model in a manner that meets students where they are."

There is a growing body of research that shows that data-driven student success models are the key to driving positive student outcomes. In order to meet the ever-evolving needs of students through data-informed approaches, Ayub will bring cross-functional leadership to link technology and data-driven insights to College Possible's curriculum and near-peer coaching model to help more students achieve their postsecondary goals.

"I'm honored to be joining a team that's dedicated to serving students in a way that meets them where they are," said Ayub. "Creating unified systems will make it possible for us to deliver technology-supported, data-informed solutions to better meet the needs of our students, coaches, and staff—and create a more seamless support experience for the learners that we serve."

Prior to his role at College Possible, Ayub was the chief digital and information officer at the International Baccalaureate (IB) Organization where he led the organization's digital transformation, extending its global education solutions and services to over 6,000 international schools, over 30,000 IB examiners, and over one million students worldwide. Earlier in his career, he spent time with IBM, EA Consulting and Softlayer, which was the largest privately held cloud infrastructure provider in the world at the time of its acquisition by IBM. His diversified industry experience also includes time in information technology leadership roles in the financial services and venture capital sector with Mr. Cooper and Alliance Data. Ayub earned his bachelor's degree in computer science at Minnesota State University.

College Possible is currently supported by generous funding from the Salesforce Accelerator grant, Morgan Stanley, Bloomberg Philanthropies, Ballmer Group, the ECMC Foundation, and the Michael and Susan Dell Foundation to elevate its mission to support students with data-informed, evidence-based methods.

Annually, the organization works with more than 25,000 high school and college students from underinvested communities at 139 high schools and 76 colleges, spanning eight cities and 11 partner university campuses nationwide. According to a randomized Harvard University study, students who participate in College Possible's program are three times more likely to earn a four-year college degree within six years than their peers who are not involved in the program.

For more information about College Possible, visit collegepossible.org.

About College Possible: As one of the largest and most successful college access and success organizations in the country, since 2000 College Possible has empowered more than 85,700 students on their path to earning a college degree. Its pioneering model matches eligible students with a near-peer coach and an evidence-based curriculum designed to help them overcome the most common barriers to getting into college and completing their degree – all at no cost to students or their families. Compared with their peers from similar backgrounds, College Possible students are 30% more likely to enroll in college the year after high school graduation, and three times more likely to earn a bachelor's degree. Headquartered in Saint Paul, MN, College Possible operates: regional sites in Austin, TX; Chicago, IL; Milwaukee, WI; Omaha, NE; Philadelphia, PA; Portland, OR; Saint Paul, MN; and Seattle, WA; as well as Catalyze partnerships in California, Iowa, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Tennessee and Texas. Learn more at CollegePossible.org.