About Us

Impact(Ed) uses the power of media to transform education and help young people thrive.

Launched by Discovery (soon to be Warner Bros. Discovery) in 1997, Impact(Ed) International has opened new doors to education for over 2.6 million students in 16 countries, and tens of millions more through television and mass media initiatives around the world.

Our Approach

We embrace a proven, highly collaborative and holistic approach to improve student learning and life outcomes. A child’s ultimate success is built on what happens both inside and outside of the classroom. Public and private partnerships at all levels are a hallmark of our work from national and local ministries of education to school leaders and teachers.

Collaborate

at the national level with Ministries of Education and local communities to create long-term, sustainable change.

Train

teachers in student-centered learning, gender equity and social inclusion, 21st Century Skills, differentiated learning and the best techniques in literacy and mathematics.

Design

media solutions by, with, and for target audiences with precise messages for a defined purpose.

Deploy

EdTech with a clear purpose, relevant content, significant teacher training, and technology that can be sustained locally.

The Board

Carole Wainaina

Carole Wainaina served as Assistant Secretary-General for Human Resources Management at the United Nations between 2014-2017. She is currently Chief Operating Officer for the Africa50 Infrastructure Fund.

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William Asiko

William has over three decades of work experience at a leadership level across the public, private and non-profit sectors. His exposure includes stints in the Government of Kenya, The Coca-Cola Company, and the African Union. He currently serves as Vice President of the Africa Regional Office for The Rockefeller Foundation. William oversees all the Foundation’s operations and programs in the region including the Foundation’s work in ending energy poverty, health, and food, which are instrumental in bettering the lives of communities across Africa.

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Douglas R Baker

Douglas R. Baker is Chief Financial Officer at Learning Care Group, a position he has held since September 2017.

As CFO, Baker leads Learning Care Group’s Finance, IT and Real Estate functions in addition to its strategic growth initiatives as the company furthers its leadership role among childcare providers through educational excellence and outstanding customer service.

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Willard Freeman

Willard O. Freeman has more than 25 years of experience in representing numerous developers, corporations, law firms and government agencies in complex real estate transactions. He successfully completed the leasing of 800 Ninth Street, SW to the General Services Administration.

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Mark Hollinger

Mark Hollinger is a a veteran of over 35 years as an executive and lawyer in the media industry.  He worked at Discovery Communications for 24 years in multiple business and legal roles, including serving as General Counsel, Chief Operating Officer and, for his last 5 years at the company, as President and CEO for Discovery Networks International (DNI).  During his tenure, Hollinger oversaw the strategic development and daily operations of a division that distributed 44 entertainment brands in 45 languages, reaching more than 1.6 billion subscribers in 224 countries and territories worldwide.  It was the first international pay television business to generate $1 billion of operating profits.

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Gail Ifshin

Gail Ifshin knows Impact(Ed) quite well. The organization got its start when Gail was asked to begin exploring ways to leverage the media assets of Discovery Communications in support of education in the developing world. With the backing of Discovery’s leadership, that effort evolved into a global nonprofit organization that 15 years later, when Gail retired, was active in 16 countries, with a concentration in Africa. Fueled by partnerships in the public, nonprofit and private sectors, it developed a proven track record of self-sustaining, locally-anchored grassroots education and teacher training initiatives and high-impact video production that continues to this day. 

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Anthony V. Lupo

Anthony is the Chairman of ArentFox Schiff and practices primarily in the entertainment, fashion and technology industries.  Anthony’s diverse client base includes WarnerBros. Discovery, Pixar, and Oprah Winfrey Network in the entertainment industry; Diane von Furstenberg, Yves Saint Laurent, Valentino, Fila, Lacoste, Diesel, and Christian Louboutin in the fashion industry; and Tesla, PlayStation, and LG in the technology space.

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Aric Noboa

Aric Noboa serves as Co-CEO and Executive Producer of Impact(Ed) International. While overseeing finance, HR, and administration, Aric leads Impact(Ed)’s efforts to create measurable change through educational media, entertaining movies, television and radio programs – engaging tens of millions of people around education, life skills, gender equity, the environment, and public health.

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Tamela Noboa

Tamela Noboa serves as Co-CEO of Impact(Ed). Tamela drives Impact(Ed)’s strategic direction, leads innovative efforts to take successful initiatives to scale, and forges new partnerships to help achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goal for universal quality education. She created a unique $64 million public/private partnership between Discovery Communications and the UK Department for International Development to improve learning outcomes for marginalized girls in Ghana, Kenya and Nigeria.

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Elisabeth Hess Rice, Ed.D (Lisa)

Elisabeth Rice is an Associate Professor of Special Education and Disability Studies at the Graduate School of Education and Human Development at The George Washington University. Currently, Dr. Rice coordinates the department’s doctoral program and co-coordinates a graduate teacher education program focusing on empowering and serving neurodiverse learners. Her research interests and publications focus on girls with learning and behavioral challenges and effective school/university partnerships.

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Christy Young

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Christy Young

Where we are

Mass Media

Our TV series and films have aired in:

Algeria

Angola

Belgium

Botswana

Canada

Caribbean

Cameroon

Cote dI’voire

Democratic Republic of the Congo

Ethiopia

Ghana

Kenya

Liberia

Lesotho

Malawi

Mozambique

Madagascar

Nigeria

Namibia

Philippines

Rwanda

Swaziland

South Africa

Tanzania

US

UAE

UK and Ireland

Uganda

Zimbabwe

Zambia

Education and Community Projects

We have established projects in:

Angola

Brazil

Egypt

Ghana

Kenya

Mexico

Morocco

Namibia

Nigeria

Peru

Romania

South Africa

Tanzania

Uganda

Venezuela

Zimbabwe

Our Partners

We’re building interventions that change lives and entire communities.

Our partners, past and present, have made it possible.

girl sitting on steps reading book

Education Changes Everything:

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