Zakiya joins Teach Plus as Pennsylvania Policy Manager, where she will help lead Teach Plus’ Pennsylvania Teaching Policy Fellowship and continue to grow and support our statewide network of over 400 teachers.
Prior to coming to Teach Plus, Zakiya worked at the School District of Philadelphia as a hiring lead for the budgeting and staffing of academic coaches and lead teachers. She also led projects in operations and recruitment for 45 schools including 15 high-needs schools. She facilitated joint-venture partnerships with emerging and executive leaders in political and business sectors in compliance with federal communications regulations and legal agreements to clear assets for teachers working in marginalized communities in the United States, United Kingdom, Egypt, Brazil, and Canada through the Discovery Learning Alliance. Zakiya led research and development strategies for the expansion plan of the year-old launch of Discovery Education that helped hundreds of school leaders and teachers collaborate through blended learning and leadership programming.
She taught first, third, and fourth grade for four years in New Orleans. She also attended American University for her B.S. in Business Administration, The Art Institute of California-San-Diego for a B.S. in Graphic Design, and Johns Hopkins University for an M.A. in teaching.
Zakiya is passionate about facilitating stronger connectivity among educators to increase their political agency and enhance their ability to create and support equitable spaces everywhere. In her spare time, she enjoys drawing, traveling, and learning about city planning and history.
