Na'ilah Amaru

Na'ilah Amaru has leveraged her nearly two decades serving as a public interest advocate and Democratic operative towards advancing progressive policies across five U.S. states and at every level of government. Starting her career as a grassroots organizer in Georgia, Amaru became a policy advisor to former Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed, legislative aide to U.S. Congressman John Lewis, and executive director of the New York City Council’s Black, Latino and Asian Caucus. Building Democratic governing power in a national capacity, Amaru now collaborates with state legislators and grassroots organizations across the country to advance progressive democracy reforms and fight voter suppression. Amaru is also a national trainer for VoteRunLead, a national organization that trains women to run for public office - and win.

In addition to her civil servant and grassroots expertise, Na’ilah is a distinguished Army veteran and ammunition specialist and was awarded an Army Commendation Medal for exemplary service in Iraq.

Na'ilah Amaru was a keynote speaker at the 2016 Democratic National Convention and has appeared on NBC, NY1, WNYC, Forbes Magazine, among many other media outlets.

Na’ilah achieved multiple graduate degrees in Master’s in Public Administration, Policy Analysis, from The University of Texas at San Antonio; a Master of Public Policy, Non-Profit Management, from Georgia State University; and a Master’s in Urban Affairs, Urban Planning, from Hunter College in New York City. She earned her BA in Political Science and a BS in Criminal Justice from The University of Texas at San Antonio.