CEO, uAspire
Bob Giannino is chief executive officer of uAspire, a national leader in providing college affordability services to young people, families, and college access and success practitioners. Through local operations in Massachusetts and the San Francisco Bay Area, training partnerships reaching 26 other states, and a national virtual advising effort, this year, uAspire will impact the lives of more than 250,000 young people.
Under Giannino’s leadership, uAspire has been recognized for the important role it plays on issues of college access, success, and affordability. Since 2010, uAspire has received the Organization of Excellence Award by the National College Access Network, was named a Social Innovator by the Social Innovation Forum, was recognized by Opportunity Knocks as one of nation’s “Best Non-Profits to Work For” and the Boston Foundation for “exceptional non-profit leadership”, and was recipient of Year Up’s Urban Empowerment Award. In 2015, Giannino was awarded the prestigious Barr Fellowship for his “outstanding contribution to the Boston community and potential to drive positive change for years to come.”
Giannino is a regular contributor to NBCUniversal’s Education Nation online Parent ToolKit. He is on the faculty of the Institute for Nonprofit Practice and serves on numerous Boards, including Idealist.org and Harvard’s Phillips Brooks House Association, as well as the Advisory Boards of Excel Academy Charter Schools and Noonan Scholars.
As the first in his family to attend college, a product of the Somerville (MA) Public Schools, and a graduate of Harvard College, Giannino knows the vital role that strong financial aid advice and minimizing debt plays in ensuring a strong economic future.