BY THE NUMBERS- TEN QUESTIONS WITH AMAN FALOL KINGMAKERS OF OAKLAND DIRECTOR OF RESEARCH & IMPACT

1. What motivated you to transition from your previous roles to becoming the Director of Research and Impact at Kingmakers of Oakland?

• I am a son from a large Black African family.
• I am a member of the African diaspora, hailing from Eritrea.
• I am a poet who loves writing and practices oral tradition.
• I am a professional who has led data and organizational strategy initiatives at local, national, and international levels.
• I am committed to refining my moral and ethical commitments through many hours of structured learning outside of work.
• I am a lifelong student and teacher.
• I am eager to learn and serve in multigenerational spaces throughout my life.
• I hope to leave this earth as a servant-leader who has planted seeds that my community members are eager to nurture.

As the Director of Research and Impact at Kingmakers of Oakland in 2024 and beyond, I can embody all of these roles. This position allows me to leverage who I am and aspire to be in a professional capacity. It offers me the opportunity to grow continuously and embrace failing forward alongside people I care about the most.

That is a beautiful thing and a significant responsibility. I pray that I remain sincere in my efforts to elevate that beauty and honor that responsibility.

2. Can you share a specific project or initiative you’re currently working on that excites you?

Over the past year, our organizational leaders have dedicated significant time to collaborating with external partners to define our Key Impact Indicators for the Kings and adults we serve.

Now that I am here, I am excited to lead the complex work of implementing tools and procedures to collect, analyze, and act on new impact information from our direct service programs.

To many, this may sound like math, spreadsheets, and data.

I encourage you to reassociate this work with relationship-building, fidelity, and growth.

The data and systems we are developing over the next few years will help us tell our story more effectively, drive innovation, and hold ourselves accountable to the fidelity of our mission and vision.

3. How do you feel your previous experience working in direct service to students has influenced your approach in your current role?

As an organization grows, it is easy to lose focus on your intended impact over time. This is a universal challenge that requires complex, process-oriented solutions.

As a result, I have refined my ability to:

• Listen actively and confirm my understanding of what others say
• Create multi-generational spaces that keep everyone connected to young people, ensuring they are informed and involved
• Design agendas that enhance engagement and participation
• Facilitate conversations that link all work to the intended outcomes for young people

These abilities form the foundation for usable, action-oriented research. I look forward to continuing to build these skills in service of our Kings and the communities that nurture them.

4. Describe some key challenges you’ve faced in your career  here and abroad and how have you approached them?

Data in many sectors outside the private sector is often met with skepticism. This skepticism can stem from a history of burdensome compliance requirements, extractive research projects, or outright oppression, making resistance to new technology and data practices by servant-leaders understandable.

As our CEO often says, “Work moves at the speed of trust.” Taking the time to understand what trust means to our partners and embedding that understanding into my work is key to my approach to research and data. I address data skepticism by emphasizing listening and shared ownership in the design of new systems. 

I don’t interpret data without the input and analysis of direct service providers from start to finish. By prioritizing the participation of those involved in service delivery during the collection and analysis of data, we transform data into a practice of storytelling, reflection, and possibility.

5. In your opinion, what are the most important qualities for someone in a leadership role within educational organizations?

The most important qualities depend on the context and leadership position. Some soft skills that come to mind are the following:

• The ability to develop a shared vision and future state
• Vulnerability 
• Humility
• Confidence
• Modeling good character and organizational norms
• The ability to delegate and lead with trust
• A learning orientation and growth mindset
• Systems thinking and process orientation

6. How do you measure the impact of your own work, especially in terms of helping Black boys?

My work is successful if:

1. My successor is more skilled and capable of innovating and accelerating the foundational work I have established.
2. Our organization and partners gain deeper insights and understanding of the Black boys we serve, regularly using this new information to better support them.

7. What lessons did you learn from your roles in government that you apply to your current position?

Here are a few key points:

• Your work is rooted in trust. People trust you with their money to fulfill their needs. Honor that trust with your best effort and character.
• Trust is fulfilled when your organization meets the most pressing needs of those you serve.
• Leading with transparency and accountability cultivates patience and goodwill.
• Your work cannot be done for those you serve; it must be done with them.

8. How have or do you foresee the role of AI affecting the integrity of data reporting ?

AI is a tool, but it’s essential for people to grasp the foundational knowledge in math, research practices, privacy, ethics, and their specific service areas to use AI effectively. Lazy usage can result in harm.

When a knowledgeable individual understands how to leverage this tool, it can transform hours of work into mere minutes or seconds. This is already happening for me and many others.

9. What advice would you give to someone looking to pursue a similar career path in educational leadership and community impact?

Do the hardest and most necessary tasks at work, and approach each new job with curiosity.

While I am not a data and research professional, I possess and utilize these skills.

People often avoid and complain about certain work projects due to the pain and complexity involved. However, if you commit to listening more than you speak and embrace a growth mindset, you can explore solutions and take ownership of these projects after building trust with your colleagues. Successfully addressing key pain points can exponentially accelerate both your personal and organizational trajectory.

Early in my career, I recognized that research and data were among the greatest needs in the organizations I served. Many individuals in similar data and research roles hold master’s degrees or PhDs. However, my lifestyle, relationships, learning orientation, and track record of successfully addressing research and data challenges enabled me to take on several roles that either required these credentials or didn’t exist before I arrived. I believe that embracing hard work and leading with curiosity creates real impact and value, paving the way into leadership roles of the future.