Najmah Ahmad is committed to transforming generational trajectories by connecting education and economic pathways in cities across America, creating stronger pathways to the future. Over a 14-year career in education and youth development, Najmah has worked in K-12 and higher education, as well as through nonprofit organizations, making a growing impact nationally.
Most recently, Najmah has been working with the Council of Chief State School Officers as the Director of Career Readiness Initiatives, working with state education agency leaders. In this work, Najmah has provided targeted technical assistance and has led states through intensive strategic planning, goal setting, and sustainability planning, with the goal of ensuring that all students are career ready.
Previously, for the District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS), Najmah created and implemented critical career readiness programming, including the Career Ready Internship program, which employed nearly 1,000 youth in paid internships connected to their career education program of study, through partnerships with over 200 industry leaders, as well as the DCPS Career Bridge program, which worked with seniors from underserved communities, at risk of not graduating, in a year-round mentoring/ career coach initiative. She is the CEO and founder of The Chisholm Group LLC.
Expertise
- Career education delivery models
- Postsecondary readiness
- Stakeholder engagement
- Strategic planning
Education
- Washington, D.C. Education Policy Fellowship Program (EPFP) Fellow through the Institute for Educational Leadership
- MS College Student Affairs from Nova Southeastern University
- BA Sociology, Gender & Diversity Studies from Xavier University
