Consultant

Program & Evaluation Strategist | Grant Management Expert | Cross-Cultural Facilitator

Idil Ahmed is a program and evaluation strategist with more than a decade of experience spanning the federal government and international education. Her work centers on strengthening career and school readiness pathways, advancing equity-driven program design, and building collaborative evaluation frameworks.

She has managed multi-cohort federal fellowship programs that prepare students for public service careers and overseen emergency education funding that helped thousands of students remain enrolled during the pandemic. She has also led student-success initiatives that improve retention, completion, and access to career opportunities. At the U.S. Department of Education, Idil managed grant portfolios exceeding $100 million, leveraging Power BI and other performance-management tools to track and analyze spending, ensure compliance, and improve accountability.

Her expertise includes program evaluation methods—surveys, stakeholder interviews, focus groups, program reviews, and performance-metric analysis—paired with policy and communication skills developed through drafting congressional memos, coordinating FOIA responses, and preparing briefings and memos for the Secretary of State and other senior officials. At the U.S. Department of State, she supported fellowship programs that connect education with public service and facilitated cross-cultural engagement with diverse stakeholders.

Committed to equity, sustainability, and measurable outcomes, Idil partners with government agencies, universities, and nonprofits to design and deliver education and workforce-development strategies that drive lasting, systemic change.

Education

B.S. Psychology, Kennesaw State University

M.A. International Education, New York University

Certifications & Training

Grants Officer Representative (GOR) Certification — U.S. Department of Education

Performance Management & Power BI Tools Training — U.S. Department of Education

Cross-Cultural Engagement & Facilitation Training — NYU

Active Secret Security Clearance — U.S. Department of State

Cambridge Certificate:Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (CELTA)

Languages:

Somali