Most recently, Dr. Hawkins Ash was Managing Director of Community Engagement and Managing Director of Growth at Making Waves Academy where he was part of the leadership team since 2018. Prior to that, he served as Chief of Staff for Business and Operations in Oakland Unified School District, where he oversaw seven departments in service of 118 schools. Dr. Hawkins Ash is also a licensed education law attorney who practiced education law in Lozano Smith’s Sacramento office, and specialized in issues pertaining to students’ rights, special education, litigation, and labor and employment issues. Dr. Hawkins Ash earned both his JD and PhD in Education Policy and Organizational Leadership from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and received his BA in Political Science and History (summa cum laude) from the Honors College at Southern University in Baton Rouge.