Claude Aska joined the JFK, Jr. Institute in March of 2008 as Coordinator of Youth Studies Programs. Mr. Aska began his career as an Information Specialist at the Ford Foundation, where he worked with grant administrators to maintain grant portfolios. In 1998, Mr. Aska moved on to the SEEK Program at Bernard M. Baruch College where he counseled staff to assess supplemental instructional services for students, and conducted supplemental instructional courses in Macroeconomics, Psychology and English Composition. Mr. Aska began working as the Assistant to the Director of the Youth Development Institute in 2002, where he managed logistics for Out-of –School Time Summits and the NYC Department of Education Parent Coordinator Academy. When he moved into the role of Program Associate, Mr. Aska conducted site visits to Beacons youth program sites, documented best practices, and co-facilitated youth development workshops. In 2004, Mr. Aska became Senior Manager of High School Programs at FoodChange, a New York City nonprofit that focuses on nutrition, education and financial empowerment for low-income New Yorkers. As Senior Manager, Mr. Aska directed the start-up and development of two Gates Foundation High schools: Food and Finance High School and the High School for Hospitality Management (HSHM). Mr. Aska also collaborated with the New York Mentoring Partnership and Credit Suisse to design and implement a work-based mentoring program for students at HSHM; and developed internship programs with Le Pain Quotidien, Hilton Hotels, Jean-Georges Properties, and Cornell University Cooperative Extension. In 2007, Mr. Aska was hired as Program Officer at Youthline America, a national nonprofit working to create a web and phone-based communication system for young people. As Program Officer, Mr. Aska directed grant writing activities for OneVote, an initiative designed to inspire high school seniors to become civically engaged in their communities, and to register and vote in all local and national elections.