Emnet Almedom is a researcher and policy strategist passionate about shaping research and community-led strategies that connect local change to the vision for a more just global economy. Most recently, at the Othering and Belonging Institute, Emnet worked on a portfolio of projects related to economic justice, corporate accountability, and divest-invest models for public safety and climate justice. As a public policy graduate student at UC Berkeley, Emnet complemented her studies on structural racism and economic systems with applied projects to transform unequal distributions of resources, dignity, and power. Most notably, her research pairing administrative data with the lived experiences of unhoused Oaklanders supported the case for a $10 million investment in MACRO, Oakland’s non-police emergency response program.

Previously, Emnet was a consultant in Deloitte’s public sector practice where she advised clients on community engagement and strategic planning for equity and impact. On sabbatical before grad school, Emnet joyfully returned to her ancestral continent to spend a year in Northern Tanzania leading program strategy and community engagement for a social innovation hub supporting renewable energy, water sanitation, and feminine health entrepreneurs. Outside of work, she’s a Brooklyn-based, first-gen Eritrean immigrant from Atlanta, Georgia who loves finding foods, films, and experiences that bring together her Global South and U.S. South identities.