ACT has appointed Steve Tapp as chief executive officer (CEO), the Iowa City-based assessment company has announced.
Mr. Tapp succeeds Janet Godwin, who has led ACT for five years and will continue as special advisor to Mr. Tapp and the board of directors.
Mr. Tapp brings more than 30 years of experience in educational and assessment markets. He most recently served as CEO of Lifelong Learner Holdings, parent company of PSI Services, a global provider of assessments for professional and educational markets, and Talogy, a talent management solutions provider.
During his 15-year tenure as CEO, Mr. Tapp led PSI’s growth from a small U.S. test publisher to an organization with two global brands across multiple assessment markets. He previously held senior leadership positions at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, including president of the Houghton Mifflin Assessment Division, Promissor.
“I am delighted to accept the role as Chief Executive Officer at ACT,” Mr. Tapp said in a release. “I’ve long admired ACT’s mission-driven focus to provide solutions that change lives through assessment. I look forward to helping propel the organization, built by Janet and the outstanding leadership team, in the next phase of growth, as we continue to support millions of global students in their college and career journeys with impactful, life changing solutions.”
Ms. Godwin spent 35 years at ACT, including the last five as CEO. She led the company through its transition to an independent public benefit corporation with investment support from Nexus Capital Management LP, ACT’s portfolio company owner.
“I’ve been honored to work at and lead the ACT organization for the past 35 years and through its transformational journey over the past 18 months into an independent, public benefit corporation with the investment support from Nexus,” Ms. Godwin said. “I am excited to hand over the reins to Steve to take the organization to new heights with his depth of market experience.”
Evan Glucoft, managing director at Nexus and board member, said Ms. Godwin was instrumental in leading ACT through a transformational period.
“We are excited to start working with Steve, a proven leader with a long and established career leading organizations in the assessment space,” Mr. Glucoft said. “Steve’s leadership capabilities, growth orientation, and market experience are a perfect fit for the next phase of ACT’s standalone evolution as we continue to build a world class provider of educational and workforce solutions.”
ACT provides assessments, research and credentials designed to support education and workplace success. The company’s products are used by students, job seekers, educators, schools, government agencies and employers.
