Current Position and Past Experience
Aaliyah Samuel serves as the Director of the Education Division of the National Governors Association for Best Practices, where she works on early childhood and K-12 policies.

Most recently, Dr. Samuel’s work has focused on programs and policies regarding early literacy and language development, the impact of evidence-based family support programs in urban, rural and tribal areas, early childhood systems building, and alignment between early learning policies, programs practices, and education reform initiatives.

Prior to joining the National Governors Association, Dr. Samuel was the Senior Director of Family Support and Literacy with First Things First in Arizona, where she co-authored Arizona’s Family Support framework which helped to address gaps in the early childhood system and assisted with connecting programs and resources to children and their families across the state.

Education, Honors and Achievements
Dr. Samuel holds a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Tuskegee University, a Master’s degree in Teaching with an emphasis on English speakers of other languages from the University of South Florida, and an Educational Specialist degree in Educational Leadership and Doctoral degree in Organizational Leadership from Nova Southeastern University.

Personal Details and Community Involvement
Aaliyah is an avid reader and a hobbyist when it comes to photography. She serves as a mentor to upcoming leaders in education and is grounded in her spiritual faith.