Room to Grow
Akilah King, MPH has a diverse work experience spanning various roles and organizations. Akilah began their career as a Research Coordinator at the Hospital for Special Surgery in 2008 and worked there until 2013. Akilah then moved on to become a Development Consultant and Chair of the Young Leaders at Foundation of Orthopedics and Complex Spine (FOCOS), where they worked from 2013 to 2014. Following that, they joined Susan G. Komen Greater NYC as a Grants & Public Policy Graduate Intern in 2014. In 2015, Akilah joined Room to Grow, starting as a Manager of Development & Program Operations and then moving up to Senior Manager in 2017. Akilah later served as Interim CEO in 2020 before being promoted to Executive Director for New York in 2018. Akilah's most recent role is Chief Executive Officer at Room to Grow, a position they have held since September 2020.
Akilah King, MPH, obtained their Master of Public Health (MPH) degree in Global Health from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Akilah completed this degree between 2013 and 2015. Prior to that, from 2004 to 2008, they attended Brown University, where they earned their Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree in Biology & Africana Studies.
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Room to Grow
Room to Grow's vision is that one day all parents will have the resources they need to unlock their families’ potential and become champions for babies and their community. We offer structured coaching, material goods, and community connections to support parents as they activate their natural strengths and expand their knowledge, so children thrive from the start. Room to Grow’s innovative program takes a two-generation, preventative, and strengths-based approach to providing comprehensive services for low-income families in Boston and New York CIty. Over the course of the first three years of their child’s development, families visit Room to Grow every three months to meet with their clinician. Visits include one-on-one parent coaching and guidance, connections to community resources, and material goods (e.g. books, toys, clothing, baby equipment) that in combination help to actualize their parenting potential and focus on their aspirations for both the short- and long-term. Through our individualized and holistic preventative approach, Room to Grow aims to help parents build enriching home environments to increase the probability that their children will later enter school ready to learn and continue on to meet their full potential in education, health, work, and citizenship.