Zainab Okolo

Senior Vice President of Policy, Advocacy, and Government Relations · The Jed Foundation · company speakers →

Dr. Zainab Okolo is a national leader in higher education policy and youth mental health, known for her bold, systems-level approach to expanding access and accountability across the mental health ecosystem. A trauma-informed, licensed clinician and seasoned policy strategist, she has dedicated her career to dismantling structural barriers that prevent young people from thriving academically, emotionally, and socially. As Senior Vice President of Policy, Advocacy, and Government Relations at JED, Dr. Okolo drives the organization’s federal and state policy agenda and leads major initiatives that strengthen mental health systems across higher education. She oversees multi-state learning collaboratives, national policy summits, and legislative strategy efforts that convene governors’ offices, state higher education executives, institutional leaders, philanthropic partners, and student advocates to accelerate large-scale change. Her leadership has helped catalyze statewide mental health roadmaps, secure strategic philanthropic investments, and align campus, community, and state systems around comprehensive mental health frameworks. Dr. Okolo’s impact extends beyond traditional advocacy: she designs replicable systems models that integrate youth voice, data, and policy into actionable solutions for states. She has led efforts to elevate student narratives in federal policymaking, strengthen suicide prevention infrastructures, and guide institutions through complex intersections of policy, finance, and mental health service delivery. Her work has informed federal legislation, shaped statewide collaborative models, and advanced a national movement toward more coordinated and compassionate mental health systems. Dr. Okolo holds a doctorate in education from The George Washington University, a master’s degree in Marriage and Family Therapy from Syracuse University, and a bachelor’s degree in Family Science from the University of Maryland, College Park. A proud Washington, D.C. native, she continues to shape national conversations on mental health access, systems transformation, and student success, championing a future in which every young person can flourish

Is this you? Claim this profile →