SALT LAKE CITY (April 13, 2022) — Western Governors University (WGU), one of the nation’s largest competency-based universities, announced today the appointment of April Chou to its Board of Trustees. Chou is a passionate driver of impact who has built her career endeavoring to advance education and economic mobility for individuals who have been historically underserved.
WGU’s mission is to change lives for the better by creating pathways to opportunity, and the university currently serves more than 142,000 students in all 50 states. 66 percent of students who study at WGU come from one or more community that historically has not been well served by higher education. To that end, Chou shares the university’s vision of uplifting individuals by unlocking their unique and inherent talents through the benefits of education. She brings integrative thinking and holistic design experience to the board, and she will provide guidance and governance as WGU continues to be a leader in personalizing the learning experience and reimagining the value of higher education such that all learners succeed.
“April is the type of leader that can help us challenge our assumptions,” said Scott Pulsipher, president of WGU. “She has experience in identifying barriers that preclude students from achieving their potential and she will help guide WGU’s strategy as we innovate within WGU and the system of higher education to ensure that those individuals who want to pursue higher education never have to say that college isn’t for them.”
Chou is currently the Chief Strategic Growth Officer of OneTen, a coalition of business leaders and corporations committed to upskilling, hiring, and promoting one million Black individuals without four-year degrees into family-sustaining jobs. Prior to that, she served as vice president and interim head of education for the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, where she led the education program and its philanthropic investments; and earlier was the chief growth and operating officer of KIPP Northern California Public Schools, where she partnered with educators, families, and local communities to create and support high-quality schools. She was also a Partner at NewSchools Venture Fund, focused on investing in and creating a community of education entrepreneurs to address opportunity gaps for students.
“I am honored to serve as part of WGU and advance our mission of enabling all students to build the lifelong skills that will enable them to pursue meaningful work and their highest aspirations.”
After 25 years of innovation in higher education culminating in more than 300,000 individuals earning their degrees, WGU is committed to advancing solutions that help more students access and complete postsecondary education while ensuring accountability to the quality and relevance of credentials. The members of the Board of Trustees are instrumental in helping WGU transform the higher education system for every learner and are grateful to have Chou join as trustee.
