Andrew Friedman
President and CEO
Andrew Friedman was appointed to Learning Ally as President and CEO in January, 2011. As CEO, Andrew has led the transition from a government funded library of audiobooks for students with disabilities to a leading nonprofit, education solutions organization championing equity in education. With a ground-breaking approach Whole Child LiteracyTM, Friedman has led the organization in the development of a portfolio of programs from PreK-12, that support educators in helping new and struggling students to read, learn and thrive.
Behind the Whole Child LiteracyTM approach is Friedman’s commitment to the organization’s mission to meet the needs of underserved populations, with a holistic lense that takes into consideration all of the factors that impact a student's ability to read and learn. Under Friedman’s guidance Learning Ally has developed a range of programs from prevention to intervention, as well as a robust Professional Learning catalogue with packages that ensure educators are well supported to deliver individualized learning at scale, measurable student outcomes and change the trajectories of students’ lives. Immediately on the horizon, is the debut of Learning Ally’s new early literacy program, Excite Reading, which is designed to bridge a critical gap in reading comprehension that will serve educators and learners in securing the foundational skills that set students up for academic success. Learning Ally now serves over 1.6 million students and over 260,000 educators. The flagship product, the Learning Ally Audiobook Solution, is a three-time Cool Tool Award EdTech Digest finalist, a 2021 SIIA Codie Award honoree for Best Virtual Learning Solution, and a 2021 Fast Company World Changing Ideas honoree in the education category, joining the ranks of trailblazing organizations and products at the forefront of world-changing innovation for the good of our society. Friedman’s philosophy is captured in this interview with EdTech Digest.
Prior to joining Learning Ally, Andrew was founder and partner of iFOS Publishing/Parenting Teens Network, where he raised capital to launch the company and run all operations. He was also financial partner and Chief Financial Officer for Rosetta LLC, a marketing services agency and professional services company, from 2000 through 2007, where he defined and implemented ongoing corporate strategy growing the organization from $10M in revenue to over $100M, ultimately leading to the sale of the company.
In his earlier experience, Friedman took on roles of escalating responsibility with Petersen Publishing Company, where he served as general manager; Primedia Directories Inc., where he served as CFO and director of financial services; and ADP, where he served as finance director. Andrew received his B.S. degree in business administration from Tulane University.