Biography of Dr. Aaliyah A. Samuel

Dr. Aaliyah Samuel is an education policy expert, advocate, and state and federal policy leader who leads with the heart of a practitioner, the perspective of a policy influencer, and the passion of a parent. With 25+ years shaping education, health, and workforce policy across the cradle-to-career continuum, she has worked directly with all 50 governors on policy and expanded her influence internationally. She has testified before Congress on workforce recovery, childcare, and student academic well-being. In an era of political fragmentation, Dr. Samuel has established herself as a credible, bipartisan thought leader across education, health, and workforce — delivering results from the statehouse to Capitol Hill and beyond. She is also an experienced convener, having led and managed conferences and convenings of all sizes — from intimate policy roundtables to large-scale national and international events.

Before executive and federal leadership, Dr. Samuel spent years in schools as a special education teacher, assistant principal, and principal — grounding her policy work in the realities of students and families. She most recently served as President and CEO of CASEL, leading national policy across 45 states, building the organization's first international strategy, and leading CASEL's international conference. Over the course of her career, Dr. Samuel has expanded her policy influence internationally, delivering ministry-level presentations across multiple countries. She serves as a Senior Fellow at Harvard's Center on the Developing Child, helping the Center strategize how to use its science in policymaking, and as a corporate board director for Horace Mann Educators Corporation.

A bilingual executive and first-generation college graduate, Dr. Samuel's leadership is anchored in both policy expertise and lived experience.