Ahmed Karrar ’17 Leverages MPPA Degree to Land a Career in Social Impact Consulting
Ahmed Karrar’s '17 interest in civic engagement began in 2007 when, as an undergraduate, he volunteered for Barack Obama’s presidential campaign in Flint, Michigan. He recalls that experience as “a crash course in both civic engagement and the true power of community collaboration to address common issues and achieve common goals.”
He majored in political science and began to work towards a career in law, public policy, and politics. Ahmed got his JD but felt he needed additional background to achieve his career goals. “I felt compelled to be as well-rounded as possible,” he says. “That’s what led me to Northwestern’s MA in Public Policy and Administration (MPPA) program. I wanted to come up with creative innovative solutions to address issues on the ground, and I thought the courses aligned with that and would help me take me into that direction.” The faculty’s background and the option to pursue the degree part-time, so he could take classes while working, made the Northwestern University MA in Public Policy and Administration especially appealing.
Big-picture wise, Ahmed knew he wanted to gain a better understanding of the way government works in addition to improving his technical skills in qualitative and quantitative research, statistical analysis, and public budgets. “Those were things that were outside of my comfort zone,” he says. “I tended to stay away from anything involving numbers. The opportunity to challenge myself and shore up some of my blind spots gravitated me toward the program.”
Gaining statistical analysis and leadership skills through MPPA courses
He got what he wanted from the MPPA program, and more. Courses on statistical analysis and research methods filled in the gaps in his knowledge. “There was a public budgeting class as well, and the professors were fantastic. They were really great about using real-world applications,” he says.
With an eye towards a career combining innovation with civic engagement, Ahmed found his courses on leadership insightful and thought-provoking, teaching him skills ranging from efficiency to interpersonal dynamics that he uses today in his role as a principal of strategic initiatives at Ichor Strategies, an advisory and research firm. “In the work that I do now where I lead projects internally within our firm and also with clients who are large companies with large bureaucracies, a lot of the skills that I gained at Northwestern University transferred naturally when it came to public administration and organizational leadership.”
MPPA alum puts his public policy skills put to work
After earning his master’s degree, Ahmed worked as an attorney at Arab American Family Services, focusing on immigration issues, civic engagement, and community organizing. “It was an opportunity for me to wear a number of different hats, be out and engage with people, and provide direct services to them,” he says, “ I learned along the way, collaborated with different folks, and gained an understanding of the benefits—and also the hurdles—that come with bringing a bunch of people together in a room and trying to figure out a way to collaborate and formulate coalitions.”
Interested in working on projects on a bigger scale, Ahmed moved on to the public affairs, public policy, and social impact consultant role at Ichor, where he develops and executes social impact strategies to assist corporate and institutional clients in better serving their community stakeholders. “I never thought in a million years I would work in the private sector. However, it’s been a very positive experience.”
His clients primarily consist of Fortune 10 and 20 companies that, he says, “touch so many different communities and facets of everyday life that require deep intentional relationships with local stakeholders.” He says the work starts at grassroots level, “identifying the most trusted local stakeholders and engaging with them, as they tend to have the best understanding of what the key issues are.”
His work at Ichor, he says, is evidence-based. “If you have an idea, great: You better find a great way to prove why you think this is the way to go forward.” He says the combination of skills he picked up while earning his MPPA degree has allowed him to navigate and collaborate with different departments at his firm. “That is an advantage that a lot of my colleagues don’t necessarily have, and it has really helped me coming into this field.”
Ahmed enjoys that his job throws him a variety of challenges while he still works in community engagement. “My MA in Public Policy and Administration led me to the career I have now, where I’m able to work directly with the community on key issues that I really care about, while also having enough room to be creative and tap into more innovative solutions.”
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