Founder, AYA Consulting Firm®️

Maaso Moten (formerly Maaso Kalema) is a dynamic leader, strategist, and advocate committed to driving systemic transformation through organizational development, capacity building, and leadership empowerment. Deeply rooted in her faith, this guidance is central to her work in creating solutions that foster equity, justice, and sustainable change. She works across both the public and private sectors, helping organizations—and the people within them—achieve their fullest potential.

With a deep belief in the power of leading with equity & holistic development, Maaso’s work is centered on advancing equity, justice, and social transformation on a global scale. She has collaborated with social systems leaders nationally and in South Africa, Bangladesh, and Kenya, designing and facilitating organizational strategies that drive meaningful, sustainable change. Her expertise lies in helping organizations align their mission and goals with the needs of the communities they serve, and she excels in leading teams through complex transformations.

Maaso holds a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science and Political Science from the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, where she focused on the social impact of STEM fields. She later earned a Master of Science in Education Studies from Johns Hopkins University, further honing her skills in research, organizational strategy, and systems science.

In Minnesota, she led initiatives to tackle the state’s growing disparities and created programming to address this, collaborating with organizations like the City of Minneapolis, the Urban Research and Opportunities Center, Children’s Defense Fund and the NAACP. Her expertise in developing strategic programs to address social inequities resulted in impactful policy recommendations and measurable outcomes for underserved communities. She later went on to research social change movements at the University of Cape Town in South Africa.

In North Carolina, she worked to increase STEM access at the district and school levels, applying her knowledge of organizational strategy to improve educational outcomes, earning recognition as Teacher of the Year. She served on the Standards and Evaluation Committee for the Down East Partnership for Children and served as a consultant for the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, where she was responsible for leading strategic initiatives that integrated historical and cultural knowledge into K-12 education through research-based museum exhibits and curriculum resources.

Maaso is passionate about leveraging organizational development to create lasting change. She has designed and implemented strategies for system-wide transformation, with a focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). Her ability to guide organizations through change management and strategic planning has allowed her to make significant contributions at the state and national levels, ensuring that policy and practice align with broader equity goals.

A certified Professional Executive Coach, Maaso brings a unique blend of organizational strategy, leadership development, and DEI expertise to her work. She is also certified in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the Workplace, and has served on multiple boards and committees, including the National Diversity Committee for the New Leaders Council. In 2022, she was recognized as a Triangle Business Journal 40 Under 40 honoree for her contributions to both social change and organizational impact.