Axim Collaborative recently announced the appointment of Stephanie Khurana as chief executive officer. She assumes her role on April 3, 2023. 

Previously known as the Center for Reimagining Learning (or “tCRIL”), Axim Collaborative is the nonprofit started by Harvard and MIT with the proceeds from the sale of edX. 

Building on edX’s commitment to educational equity
In 2012, edX launched its first online course with the mission to increase access to high-quality learning opportunities for everyone, everywhere, to advance digital learning technologies, and to enhance teaching and learning on campus and online through research. Since its inception, edX has offered 3,600 courses to 42 million learners worldwide. EdX demonstrated how technological innovation could expand the reach of higher education to people everywhere, in keeping with the vision set by Harvard and MIT leaders.

Following the sale of edX to 2U in 2021, Harvard and MIT created a new nonprofit to build on edX’s success and drive the next iteration of learning innovation. The new nonprofit shares edX’s mission to broaden access, adding an aspiration to deepen impact for learners by addressing persistent gaps in educational attainment and career success. The nonprofit also supports the Open edX platform, the learner-centric, massively scalable learning technology designed to help improve the effectiveness and personalization of online learning experiences.

“I am delighted that Stephanie has agreed to serve as the inaugural CEO of Axim Collaborative,” says Alan M. Garber, provost and chief academic officer of Harvard University and co-chair of the board. “With her years of dedication to advancing educational equity, along with experience in leveraging technology to promote access to higher education, Stephanie is the right person to work with the communities that share our vision to shape and implement the agenda for this exciting endeavor.”

Axim Collaborative is born
Axim Collaborative’s mission is to make learning more accessible, more relevant, and more effective for a diverse set of learners. To underscore the centrality of access and impact, the name Axim (a hybrid of the two ideas) was selected.

Khurana brings more than two decades of experience in social venture philanthropy and in the technology innovation space. Most recently she served as managing partner and COO of Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation, a global venture philanthropy firm that identifies and supports innovative social ventures tackling complex societal problems. Khurana helped to shape and execute the Foundation’s strategy to provide novel funding and capacity building strategies that result in a direct impact on people’s lives. Her work has focused on education equity, college success, and economic mobility, with service on the boards of Generation, Propel America, Braven, EdBuild, Empower Schools, and Kinvolved, among others.

“I’m excited to take on this opportunity to help learners realize their educational and career aspirations,” says Khurana. “We have unique potential using Axim’s resources and capabilities to catalyze efforts that will make a difference of a lifetime for so many people.”