Our Staff

Safiyah is a non-profit leader and child advocate with experience as an early learning educator, school psychologist, parent educator, and learning/development facilitator. She currently serves as Chief Strategy Officer at North Carolina Partnership for Children. In this role, Safiyah is responsible for data systems, fund development, strategic initiatives, and ensuring a comprehensive approach to birth-to-five investments. Her vision is that neighborhoods prioritize quality, access, and equity of early childhood experiences and that policy and programming are responsive to the needs of families. In her previous role as Early Education Program Officer at McCormick Foundation, Safiyah facilitated philanthropic investments to improve early childhood teaching practices and expand early childhood policy/advocacy. She also served as Director of Training at the McCormick Center for Early Childhood Leadership and Director of Learning Programs at Shedd Aquarium. In both roles, she was responsible for designing and implementing a strategic vision that fostered engagement and operational excellence. Safiyah holds an MBA from Florida A&M University and M.Ed. degrees in both Early Childhood and School Psychology from National Louis University.