New York City Metropolitan Area
Akia S. Callum serves as the inaugural Senior Program Officer for Advocacy at the William Caspar Graustein Memorial Fund, where she works at the intersection of advocacy, philanthropy, governance, and systems change. In her role, she supports organizational strategy, legislative engagement, ecosystem development, advocacy infrastructure, and cross-functional initiatives that advance equity and community power. A seasoned strategist, community organizer, facilitator, and nonprofit leader, Akia brings more than a decade of experience spanning education, philanthropy, advocacy, government affairs, and nonprofit management. Her work focuses on building relationships, strengthening organizational infrastructure, and identifying opportunities for collaboration that advance long-term social and systems change. A proud Brooklyn native and daughter of Jamaican immigrants, Akia believes meaningful change is built through authentic relationships, shared leadership, and community-driven solutions. Throughout her career, she has worked alongside community leaders, policymakers, advocates, and philanthropic partners to advance equity and expand opportunity. Her leadership has included service within the NAACP at the state, regional, and national levels, board service with the ACLU of Connecticut, and selection as one of twenty inaugural Yale Law School Access to Law Fellows. Her contributions to leadership, advocacy, and community engagement have been recognized through numerous honors, including being named the inaugural recipient of the John Lewis Youth Leadership Award and a member of the 2024 Class of 100 Women of Color. Akia earned a Juris Doctor from the University of Connecticut School of Law, where she also completed a Certificate in Corporate & Regulatory Compliance. She holds a Master of Education in Curriculum & Instruction, a Bachelor of Science in Legal Studies, and a Paralegal Certificate from Post University.
• Lead the development of the Fund's advocacy infrastructure, including governance frameworks, advocacy guidance, compliance tools, and organizational learning resources. • Designed and implemented the Fund's first Advocacy Matrix and related decision-making tools, providing guidance for advocacy, lobbying, and public policy engagement across a 12-person staff and 7-member board. • Cultivate relationships with grantee partners, policymakers, funders, advocates, and community leaders to strengthen ecosystem coordination and identify opportunities for systems change. • Serve on the core team supporting the Fund's strategy evolution process, contributing advocacy, ecosystem, and stakeholder perspectives to organizational planning and future direction. • Established the Fund's membership with Alliance for Justice, expanding organizational access to advocacy compliance resources, technical assistance, and training opportunities. • Build relationships with local, state, and federal policymakers and staff to advance organizational learning and identify opportunities for legislative engagement. • Facilitate cross-functional collaboration across Education Strategy & Programs, Impact Investing, and Communications to align advocacy, grantmaking, mission-aligned investing, and storytelling efforts. • Support the exploration of emerging advocacy strategies, including shareholder advocacy, ecosystem power mapping, leadership development opportunities, and national movement-building initiatives. • Represent the Fund in state and national advocacy, philanthropic, and policy spaces, including engagements with One Fair Wage, PolicyLink, Race Forward, and congressional offices. • Develop research, analysis, strategic frameworks, and recommendations to inform advocacy investments, ecosystem development, and organizational decision-making.
Served as a Teaching Assistant for Nadiyah J. Humber in Law, Equality, and Power Course at University of Connecticut School of Law. Developed course content and interactive classroom activities for a class session focused on the history of legal education, examining the evolution of the legal profession and barriers to access within legal institutions. Led classroom instruction and facilitated discussion on the intersection of law, equity, and power. Supported course administration through Blackboard management, student communications, and course announcements while assisting with overall classroom coordination and engagement throughout the semester.