Leading Program for Community College Transfer To Honor Chief Executive Officer of the Partnership for After School Education (PASE) and Executive Director of the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation at 20^th Anniversary Gala Event in New York City on Wednesday, April 29th

Company Website: https://www.kaplanedfoundation.org/
NEW YORK -- (Business Wire)

The Kaplan Educational Foundation (KEF), an independent 501(c)(3) public charity which seeks to eliminate barriers to higher education for high-potential, low-income community college students and develop them as leaders and advocates for their communities, announces its 20th Anniversary Leadership Awards, honoring Alison Overseth, CEO, Partnership for After School Education, and Giuseppe “Seppy” Basili, Executive Director, Jack Kent Cooke Foundation, with this year’s Changemaker Awards. The awards will be presented at the KEF Annual Gala on Wednesday, April 29, 2026, in New York City.

KEF’s Changemaker Award recognizes individuals who have demonstrated commitment to increasing opportunity for individuals who have been overlooked and underserved, in education and beyond.

Ms. Overseth is the Chief Executive Officer of the Partnership for After School Education (PASE), a nonprofit which works with hundreds of community-based organizations, higher education institutions, and corporate partners to improve the quality of opportunities available to young people living in poverty in New York City. With over 30 years of experience in the youth serving profession, Ms. Overseth directed a management initiative for the Fund for the City of New York to strengthen the non-profit agencies that provide community support for young people, and served as the founding President of the Board of Directors of PASE for 12 years. Ms. Overseth served until recently as the Chair of the Board of Trustees of Smith College; is on the Board of Directors of The New York Women’s Foundation; has served on the Advisory Board of The Tamer Center for Social Enterprise at Columbia Business School; and has taught leadership courses at Bank Street College of Education. Ms. Overseth was a Director at The First Boston Corporation, specializing in corporate restructurings, from 1984-1992.

Mr. Basili has been the executive director of the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation since 2018. He is a prominent expert in K-12 education, college readiness, and higher education, boasting 30 years of experience in the field. Before taking on his current role, he served as the Foundation's director of strategic initiatives and chief operating officer. Before joining the Foundation, Mr. Basili was vice president and general manager of college admissions and K-12 programs at Kaplan Test Prep. During his 20+ years with Kaplan, he oversaw the creation and implementation of the K-12 custom curriculum business, forged valuable partnerships with school districts nationwide, including Chicago Public Schools and the Los Angeles Unified School District, and managed test preparation programs and college admissions services for the SAT, ACT, and PSAT exams. In addition to his tenure at Kaplan, he has worked with Scholastic Inc., Renaissance Learning, and Catapult Learning. Throughout his career, he has authored numerous publications on college access and admissions and has been featured by The New York Times, NPR, and the Today Show, among others.

"Twenty years ago, the Kaplan Educational Foundation made a bet — that with the right support, underserved students from community colleges could thrive at the most selective schools in the country, and eventually become leaders," said Melissa Mack, Chairman of the Foundation and Chief Communications & HR Officer at global educational services company Kaplan, Inc. "Alison and Seppy have spent their careers making that same kind of bet, over and over, on young people that too many systems have written off. They represent exactly the longstanding commitment to creating access and opportunity we want to recognize and celebrate."

Kaplan Educational Foundation (KEF) Key Facts:

• Mission: Kaplan Educational Foundation’s mission is to eliminate barriers to higher education for high-potential, low-income community college students
• Bachelor’s Degree Attainment Rate: 92% of Kaplan Leadership Program Scholars attain a bachelor’s degree vs. a national average of 14%
• Top Transfer Destinations: Yale, Stanford, Brown, Princeton, Amherst, Cornell, Mount Holyoke, Smith.
• Kaplan Leadership Program Alumni: 170+ high-potential leaders across business, law, medicine, education, public policy, engineering, and other sectors

KEF is an independent 501(c)(3) public charity, and through the Kaplan Leadership Program helps high-potential, overlooked and underserved community college students complete their associate degree, successfully transfer and go on to earn a four-year bachelor's degree at the nation's most highly-selective schools. The program focuses on a holistic approach – providing extensive tutoring, academic advisement services, leadership and career training, stipends for living expenses and other resources and support to help them expand their personal goals and eventually attain leadership roles in their professions and communities.

Event & Media Information

The 2026 Annual Benefit celebrates KEF’s 20th year of removing obstacles to higher education and serves as the organization’s chief fundraising event. To attend or sponsor the event, please clickhere.

If you are interested in attending the event as a member of the media, please contact Valerie Silverman Kerr at valerie.silvermankerr@kaplanedfoundation.org.

ABOUT THE KAPLAN EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION

The Kaplan Educational Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit public charity, was initially established and supported by a generous endowment funded by Kaplan, Inc. executives with the idea of helping a small group of students in a big way. KEF provides high-potential, low-income students with academic and financial support and leadership training to raise their expectations for success and open doors to opportunities that will change their lives and communities. For more information, please visit www.kaplanedfoundation.org.

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Contacts:

Press contact:
Valerie Silverman Kerr
valerie.silvermankerr@kaplanedfoundation.org
914-806-6647

Source: The Kaplan Educational Foundation