Government and External Affairs

Donna Harris-Aikens, J.D., serves as Associate Secretary for Government & External Affairs at the Delaware Department of Education, where she leads the Department’s engagement with policymakers, partners, and communities to advance student success across the state. She brings more than two decades of experience at the intersection of education, government, and organizational strategy, with a focus on ensuring every learner has the opportunity and support to excel.

Before joining the Delaware Department of Education, Harris-Aikens co-founded a strategic advising firm guiding national nonprofits, foundations, and political organizations on turning deep listening and collaboration into actionable strategies that drive measurable impact. She previously served as Acting Assistant Secretary for Planning, Evaluation and Policy Development as well as Deputy Chief of Staff for Strategy at the U.S. Department of Education, where she oversaw the strategic deployment of billions of dollars of COVID-era funds, guided federal education policy through the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, liaised with several White House Initiatives, and strengthened cross-agency partnerships to better serve students, families, and educators. She also implemented key reforms in budget strategy, grantmaking, and policy execution, and served on the Executive Committee of the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention. She also represented the United States in international policy discussions as delegate to the OECD Education Policy Committee and as key advisor to the International Summit of the Teaching Profession, comprised of education ministers and their labor counterparts from multiple countries.

Earlier in her career, Harris-Aikens directed national policy and advocacy initiatives at the National Education Association, advised governors and presidential campaigns on state and federal policy, and held leadership roles at SEIU and Advance CTE. She has served on presidential and gubernatorial transition teams, the board of the Smithsonian’s Anacostia Community Museum, and was a member of the Chesapeake Bay Executive Council’s Stakeholder’s Advisory Committee.

A graduate of James Madison University and Howard University School of Law, Harris-Aikens is a respected thought leader in policy and strategy with published contributions including the U.S. Department of Education’s inaugural Equity Action Plan, a series of federal COVID-19 handbooks to reopen schools and campuses safely, and numerous NEA policy playbooks with accompanying model legislation and strategic implementation plans.