Akua Hill

Akua Hill has worked as a community advocate for over a decade across various cities and with diverse populations. Akua currently serves as the Capacity Building Director for Community Development Advocates of Detroit (CDAD). In this role, Akua’s work is focused on strengthening neighborhood power through intentional capacity building efforts. This includes working with community organizations to increase racial equity through policy and practice, to better engage youth and create spaces for them to lead, as well as developing performance standards and tools for the Community Development sector.

Prior to joining CDAD, Akua was responsible for leading various educational advocacy initiatives in New York City and Newark, NJ. In this capacity she worked closely with students, families, community partners and elected officials toward the attainment of strategic advocacy goals focused on the equitable distribution of educational resources. Akua’s involvement in the Newark community was instrumental in supporting K-12 schools – particularly in under resourced communities – through grant making, collaborative projects with the District, as well as sector and citywide advocacy initiatives. 

Before returning to the Tri-State area to work in education and community development, Akua was involved in facilitating a wide range of community centered processes – from working on Mayor Karl Dean’s Child and Youth Master Plan for the city of Nashville, Tennessee to guiding local community organizations in Bahia, Brasil through a process of evaluating and improving their engagement practices.

Akua is a native of Harlem, NY and is proud to now call Detroit home. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Human & Organizational Development and a Masters of Education in Community Development & Action from Vanderbilt University. Akua is an alum of the Economic Justice Alliance of Michigan fellowship and was selected as one of the emerging leaders for Bank of America’s 2018 Neighborhood Builders Award. She has completed Everyday Democracy’s Institute for Community Change Leaders as well as the Advancing Racial Justice in Organizations training with the Interaction Institute for Social Change.