Our Founder, AYA Consulting Firm®️

Maaso Moten (formerly Maaso Kalema) is a consummate professional, leader, advocate who is deeply committed to developing leaders and capacity building for organizations in the private and public sector.

Maaso believes that holistic development is the path towards equity, justice and liberation and strives to work towards global solutions towards transformation and impact. She has researched and studied social systems around the world including South Africa, Bangladesh and Kenya where she has had the opportunity to work, serve and learn through her design and facilitation work with global social systems leaders. 

Prior to this, she earned her Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities where she majored in Environmental Science and Political Science and researched the social context of STEM related fields and community impact. She then went on to earn her Master of Science degree from John Hopkins University in Education Studies. Originally from Minnesota, her work as an leader and advocate spans across the country and world. In her home state, she developed and created programming to explicitly address the growing disparities in Minnesota alongside various organizations including the City of Minneapolis, Urban Research and Opportunities Center, NAACP, and the Children’s Defense Fund and researched social change systems at the University of Cape Town in South Africa.

She transitioned to North Carolina where she taught and worked on increasing STEM access at the district and school level. She is a former Teacher of the Year and enjoys developing leaders in education to maximize impact for families and communities.  She served on the Standards and Evaluation Committee with the Down East Partnership for Children, which focuses on early childhood education and outcomes. Within her time in North Carolina, she sat on the Board for the Apprend Foundation and served as an educational consultant for North Carolina’s Department of Natural and Cultural Resources integrating research based historical and cultural knowledge for the development of museum exhibits and corresponding standards aligned resources and lessons for K-12 educators. 

As a product of public schools and institutions, she believes deeply in rights and opportunities associated with attaining an equitable and quality education and the role she has in ensuring this is a dream actualized not only for some but all and the role of education towards equity and liberation. Throughout her career, she's researched and developed strategy and organizational development for broader systems towards achieving more equitable results and has had the opportunity to develop policy recommendations at the state level. Her expertise lies at the intersection of systems science, education and behavioral science, diversity, equity, & inclusion, coaching, and leadership development and she seeks to create synergy through her work with clients.

A consummate professional, Maaso's commitment and passion for social change and impact is also exemplified through her volunteer experience with various affiliations including Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., NAACP, and local and city governments. She is certified in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the Workplace and has served on various boards, and councils for major national organizations and is a certified Professional Executive Coach through Duquesne University - Palumbo Donahue School of Business. She is a New Leaders Council (NLC) Alum and currently serves as a member of the National Diversity Committee with the New Leaders Council, a 501 (c) (3) national public charity which trains and equips political leaders in the United States. She was recently recognized by the Triangle Business Journal of Raleigh-Durham as a 40 Under 40 award recipient for 2022.