GHP Search Partners with Ascend Learning on Board Member Appointments

GHP Search was recently retained by Ascend Learning to assist in growing both the Ascend Learning Board of Directors and the Ascend Charter Schools Board of Trustees. New members of the Ascend Learning board identified by GHP include Robert Childs, retired EVP, Strategic Initiatives at American Express and Amy Mbagwu-Bagolini, a founding leader of Amazon's Streaming TV advertising business. Richard Young Jr, Director, Investor Access Origination at Bernstein was identified by GHP Search to join the Ascend Charter Schools board.

Robert Childs is an accomplished human resources and organizational effectiveness leader with a career spanning over 40 years with American Express. Most recently EVP, Strategic Initiatives, Robert has led initiatives at the intersection of sales, human resources, and operations where he focused on talent strategy, leadership development, organizational transformation, and culture. Robert is a graduate of Rutgers University and has completed executive education programs through Cornell University, INSEAD, and The Executive Leadership Council.

Amy Mbagwu-Bagolini is a revenue and growth executive with 20+ years building and scaling businesses across streaming TV, retail media, and advertising-supported platforms. Her experience spans revenue leadership, strategy, go-to-market, and commercialization across leadership roles at Amazon, Taboola, Time Inc. (now People Inc.), and AOL. She holds an M.S. from Columbia University and an MBA from Fordham University's Gabelli School of Business.

Richard Young Jr. is a seasoned financial services executive with extensive experience in investor relations, investment banking, and corporate finance. He currently leads Investor Access Origination for the Industrials and Energy franchises at Bernstein. Previously, he held senior investor relations leadership roles at State Street Corporation and Citigroup. Richard began his career in investment banking at Citigroup, and he also practiced law at Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft. Richard earned a J.D. from Harvard Law School and a B.A. in Political Science from Howard University.

For more than a decade, Ascend has stood at the forefront of educational excellence and is one of Brooklyn’s largest and highest-performing K–12 charter networks. Today, Ascend serves more than 5,000 students across 17 schools in Brooklyn, supported by a dedicated team of over 800 educators and staff. Ascend has proven what is possible when rigorous academics meet joyful, equitable classrooms. But the next decade demands something new.

The world Ascend's students will enter is transforming, driven by artificial intelligence, automation, green technology, and hybrid work. The next economy will reward creativity, adaptability, collaboration, and lifelong learning. To prepare students not only to enter this world but to lead it, Ascend is reimagining the very purpose of school with a mission to redefine what it means for every graduate to have boundless choice—in college, in career, and in life.

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Carrie Pryor

Managing Director

(917) 327-0557

cpryor@ghpsearch.com

Ted Pryor

Managing Director

(203) 561-1924

tpryor@ghpsearch.com