Aaliyah Samuel earned her doctoral degree in organizational leadership from Nova Southeastern University, focusing on effective literacy interventions for children in primary grades. She led education policy programs at the National Governors Association and First Things First, served as the executive vice president of government affairs and partnerships at NWEA, and was appointed as a fellow to the Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University. In 2021, she served as a member of the US Department of Education. She is currently the president and CEO of CASEL, the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning.