The Foundation for a Meaningful Life
Kindergarten - Grade 9 in Southborough, MA
Alumni
Alumni

Working for the Greater Good

Ahmed Martin '98 is building on his background in urban planning to invest in improving the whole health of urban communities.
After Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans, Ahmed Martin ‘98 saw an opportunity to combine his professional skills and personal convictions for the greater good.  “I was really curious about what was happening on the ground as opposed to what I was seeing on TV,” says Ahmed.

Ahmed’s path to New Orleans started at Fay, where he developed his leadership skills as the Red Team Color President. “Fay really nurtured my innate abilities,” he says. “Fay provided me with every opportunity and supported me in whatever I was interested in from a very young age.” Ahmed went on to Brooks School and Wesleyan Universit,y where he graduated with a degree in history. It was at Wesleyan that he first recognized his interest in urban planning. “I became interested in the development of cities and the concept of agency, the idea that if communities want to improve themselves they need to be more knowledgeable about how their built environment - the spaces in which people live and work -  is created.”  

After Wesleyan, Ahmed was selected as a Rockefeller Foundation CUREx scholar, an urban planning graduate program formed in the aftermath of Katrina to place development professionals into organizations to help rebuild New Orleans. “That’s where I learned about all aspects of community development,” says Ahmed. “It cemented my technical knowledge with my passion to help out.”

In New Orleans, Ahmed worked with The Road Home Program, coordinating the dispensation of state and federal funds to homeowners and The New Orleans Neighborhood Development Collaborative, where he assisted the non-profit Community Development Corporation in designing and constructing 50 affordable housing units and supporting the development of another 400 units. 

After New Orleans, Ahmed moved on to Pittsburgh in 2010, where he has held several urban development leadership roles in both the non-profit and for-profit sectors, an experience that he describes as deeply satisfying. “Any time you see abandoned vacant properties turned into a new development, it imbues a sense of pride that we are improving the environmental conditions that people are living in.”

In the next chapter in his career, Ahmed is expanding his focus on community development to invest his time and resources in projects designed to improve the whole health of community members. Ahmed is investing in a partnership between the Urban Civic Group and 123 PHHC, a home health agency in Pittsburgh, to develop a next generation housing strategy that incorporates telehealth technology. He is also Business Development Manager for CORE (Creative, Organic, Ready to Eat) Meals, a locally-sourced, dairy-free, gluten-free, organic, prepared meal service designed to combat poor nutrition in urban areas while teaching customers how to prepare whole food for themselves and their families. 

“I’ve always had a desire to fight for the underdog,” says Ahmed. “There are critical issues to do with black access to health, food, and shelter, and it makes me feel good to be a part of creating solutions in whatever small way I can.”
 
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