Toy Association Staffers to Serve Additional Terms on National AfterSchool Association Board

November 2, 2022 | The Toy Association’s Ed Desmond, executive vice president of external affairs, and Anna Yudina, senior director of marketing initiatives, have been appointed to additional terms on the National AfterSchool Association (NAA)’s corporate advisory board.

In their respective roles as advisory board partners, Desmond and Yudina will continue to participate in board meetings that examine what’s happening in the afterschool field and provide the NAA with the latest updates and partnership opportunities for The Toy Association’s own initiatives, including The Genius of Play.

“Over the years, we have built a strong and symbiotic relationship with the NAA that has been critical in supporting the work of both associations,” said Yudina. “Key examples include expanding the reach of The Genius of Play’s Play Ambassadors program and promoting The Genius of Play’s Play Today hub this summer as a resource for families and teachers at the onset of the pandemic.”

Likewise, NAA serves as a key resource to Toy Association members in understanding the market opportunities for toy companies in afterschool programs, which enroll more than 10.2 million children in the U.S. This topic will be explored in The Toy Association webinar “Growing Your Business Through Play in Afterschool Programs” this Thursday, November 5. The webinar will be presented by Gina Warner, president & CEO of the NAA and Tyler Kearns, program coordinator of the Clayton Kid Zone afterschool program. Yudina will moderate.

To learn more about how The Toy Association is working to promote the value of play and toys or to discuss partnership opportunities, please contact Anna Yudina.