Naomi Mae

Naomi Mae is an Assistant Professor of Educational Policy Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison's School of Education. She holds a PhD from the University of Michigan and previously served as an Associate Program Officer at the Spencer Foundation, managing grant programs and convening interdisciplinary collaborations. Her research focuses on youth-led educational justice movements, leveraging critical ethnography and community-based methodologies. Dr. Mae is a recognized activist scholar with 15+ years of engagement in multiracial coalitions advocating for equity in under-resourced urban schools.

Education:

• PhD in Educational Foundations and Policy, University of Michigan (2021)
• MA in Educational Leadership, Politics & Advocacy, NYU Steinhardt (2015)
• BA in African American Studies, UC Berkeley (2013)

Her work integrates critical race theory and relational race frameworks to examine spatial geographies of education and youth resistance strategies. Major accolades include the Ford Foundation Dissertation Fellowship and Gates Millennium Scholarship. She currently leads initiatives bridging academia with grassroots organizing to strengthen educational solidarity through coalition-building.

Awards:

• Ford Foundation Dissertation Fellowship (2020)
• UM Marshal Family School Diversity Award (2017)

Grants & Partnerships: Extensive foundation collaboration experience, including Spencer Foundation grant oversight. Current projects involve spatial analysis of metro Detroit education systems and amplifying Black youth narratives in policy-making.