Andrew Poggio

About Andrew Poggio

I’ve spent my career at the intersection of research, data, product development, and strategy in education technology.I began in assessment and psychometrics, working on some of the early online systems designed to give educators faster insight into student learning. That work evolved into building analytics platforms, adaptive learning models, and data-driven product capabilities that connect research, technology, and real classroom outcomes.My passion is helping companies translate complex information into better decisions about what to build, where to invest, and how to scale impact. My work has spanned product strategy, analytics leadership, portfolio governance, and executive strategy across organizations ranging from emerging companies to $1B+ digital platforms.Along the way I’ve: • Built research, analytics, and strategy organizations from the ground up • Led product and portfolio investment decisions across large R&D organizations • Developed assessment and data products embedded within instructional platforms • Partnered with executive leadership and boards on growth strategy and transformation • Worked closely with school systems, educators, and policymakers across the education ecosystemI’m most energized when helping organizations turn complex data, emerging technologies, and market signals into clear decisions that improve both product performance and learning outcomes.At heart, I see my role as a conductor, bringing together researchers, product teams, technologists, GTM leaders, and business stakeholders so the entire organization can move faster and smarter toward meaningful impact.

Experience

1. Head of Portfolio Management

   Ascend Learning

   Oct 2024 — Present

   Brought in to establish Ascend’s first centralized Portfolio Management function, governing a $100M+ annual R&D portfolio within a ~$1B digital business.*Designed and implemented enterprise portfolio governance, capital planning, and investment sequencing processes.*Partnered with CPO, CTO, Finance, and PMO to align product investments to growth and margin targets.*Introduced ROI modeling and structured review forums to clarify tradeoffs and improve accountability across product and technology teams.

Education

• Saint Louis University

  Honors BA

• Boston College

  MEd, Measurement, Evaluation, Statistics, and Assessment

• Università degli Studi di Padova

  Fulbright Fellowship

• University of California, Berkeley, Haas School of Business

  Certification, Data Strategy

• University of Iowa

  PhD, Measurement and Statistics

Skills

• Program Evaluation
• Strategic Partnerships
• Education Policy
• Product Development
• Research
• Federal Funding
• Strategic Planning
• Strategy
• Teaching
• K-12
• Organizational Development
• Policy Analysis
• Public Speaking
• Staff Development
• Spss
• E-Learning
• Statistics
• Data Analysis
• Quantitative Research
• Educational Assessment
• Common Core State Standards
• Grant Writing
• Management
• Educational Technology