our story
The Chisholm Group is named after the late Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm, the first Black woman to run for President of the United States from a major party. Ms. Chisholm was an education, economic justice, and women’s rights warrior. The Chisholm Group pays homage to our ancestors by continuing their legacy of lifting as we climb. The Chisholm Group will always be driven to be “unbought and unbossed”, and a “catalyst for change”.
At the center of our work, and logo is the symbol representing a concept known as Ujamaa (ooh-jah-mah). The principle, originating from the Kwanzaa tradition, means Cooperative Economics. “It is essentially a commitment to the practice of shared social wealth and the work necessary to achieve it.
Ujamaa literally means familyhood and suggests a sharing of work and wealth in the manner of a family. It grows out of the fundamental communal concept that social wealth belongs to the masses of people who created it and that no one should have such an unequal amount of wealth that it gives him/her the capacity to impose unequal, exploitative, or oppressive relations on others.”
At The Chisholm Group, we believe that nobody owns “the table”. It belongs to our shared humanity. Our work is to ensure that nobody is denied their inherent right to a seat. This is especially critical because it will take all of our presence to truly realize the promise & potential of our communities, and their ability to thrive.
about us
Najmah Ahmad
Founder & CEO
Najmah serves as the Founder & CEO of the Chisholm Group LLC. Najmah has been working in education and youth development for 15 years; this includes experiences at Institutes of Higher Education, Non-profit organizations, and at the K-12 district level. Najmah earned her Bachelor’s degree in Sociology and Gender & Diversity Studies from Xavier University and her Master’s degree in College Student Affairs from Nova Southeastern University.
During her time working with the District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS), Najmah created the Career Ready Internship program that grew to employ nearly 1,000 youth in paid internships connected to their career education program of study. Najmah developed employer partnerships with over 200 industry leaders. She also led the writing of the Tenacity Employability Skills Curriculum which incorporated workforce development and social emotional learning models.
With a desire to expand equitable access to postsecondary opportunities, Najmah created 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.
Prior to forming the Chisholm Group LLC., Najmah continued this work at the national level with the Council of Chief State School Officers as the Director of Career Readiness Initiatives, working with State Education Agency leaders. Najmah has provided targeted technical assistance, led states through intensive strategic planning, goal setting and sustainability planning with the goal of ensuring that all students are career ready.
Partnerships & Associations
Our Founder serves on the National League of Cities (NLC) Youth Excel Advisory Committee: Cities Advancing Equitable Youth Economic Recovery and Empowerment, an initiative which will work to support the efforts of city and municipal leaders to address these challenges by focusing on a Framework comprising three key strategies:
1. Expand STEM Career Pathways for Youth
2. Build On-Ramps for Youth
3. Empower Youth & Youth Serving Organizations
Our founder is a graduate of the 2021-2022 class of the Washington, D.C. Education Policy Fellowship Program. The Washington, DC Education Policy Fellowship Program (EPFP) is part of a nationally recognized program, sponsored by the Institute for Educational Leadership, that engages a diverse and collaborative community of strategic leaders to promote equitable education policy.
- Exploring leadership development from personal and theoretical perspectives
- Investigating policy issues and policy processes at multiple levels
- Enacting active networking to develop and broaden relationships with diverse colleagues across a range of organizations and to expand one's connections for collaboration
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