Biography of Dr. Aaliyah A. Samuel

Dr. Aaliyah A. Samuel is the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) through March, 2027. She also serves as a Corporate Board Director, and Senior Fellow at the Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University.

Previously, Dr. Samuel was the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Local, State, and National Engagement at the U.S. Department of Education. She also served as the Executive Vice President of Government Affairs and Partnerships at NWEA, where she led a team advancing both state and federal education agendas. Before joining NWEA, she was the Director of Education at the National Governors Association (NGA), where she supported governors and senior state officials in developing policies impacting health, education, and workforce systems.

Aaliyah is a bilingual executive leader with expertise spanning early childhood through higher education. Her experience includes program evaluation, evidence-based program design, data collection and disaggregation, family and community engagement strategies, and policy development and implementation at the local, state, and national levels. She has informed state policy agendas, built cross-systems approaches to support children and families, and driven systems-level change in collaboration with diverse stakeholders, philanthropies, and national partners.

Dr. Samuel holds an undergraduate degree from Tuskegee University, a master’s degree from the University of South Florida, and both a specialist and doctorate degree from Nova Southeastern University.