Zakiyyah J. Ali brings more than 20 years of leadership experience across business strategy, workforce development, human resources, higher education, and nonprofit and government administration. Recognized for her ability to bring clarity to complex challenges, she applies a systems-thinking approach to build scalable, mutually beneficial solutions that strengthen businesses while expanding pathways to economic mobility for career seekers.

Her career spans influential leadership roles—including serving as the inaugural Chief Executive Officer of the Tech Council of Delaware, where she advanced regional tech ecosystems through strategic partnerships, policy engagement, member-driven committees, and initiatives focused on talent pipelines, digital equity, and innovation economies. She previously served as Senior Director of Workforce Development with the City of Philadelphia, overseeing talent, employment, and career pathway initiatives that connected residents to quality jobs while supporting employers in meeting critical workforce needs. She also led the enterprise-wide career development program at The Vanguard Group during her tenure as a Human Resources Program Manager.

Zakiyyah has led teams in creating more than 50 learning solutions, stewarded significant budgets and grants, and directed programs that strengthened employer engagement and addressed entrenched socio-economic challenges through community-informed strategies. She is known for bridging strategy with execution—turning vision into actionable plans that generate measurable results. Zakiyyah graduated with honors from West Chester University with a Bachelor of Science in Marketing and a minor in Psychology. She earned a Master of Leadership Development from Pennsylvania State University and holds a Senior Certified Professional designation from the Society for Human Resource Management, along with a Human Resources Management credential from Villanova University. She is a graduate of Temple University’s Fox School of Business Center for Executive Education Women’s Leadership Series and an alumna of the Catalysts Together Executive Leadership Program of the Longwood Foundation.