Biography
Ahmmad Brown is a Professor of the Practice at Tufts University's Jonathan M. Tisch College of Civic Life. His research and practice focus on two primary areas.
First, he studies organizational development and change with particular attention to how inequality is identified and addressed within institutions. Rather than emphasizing outcomes alone, his work highlights the processes-the "how" rather than the "what"-through which organizations pursue transformation. He emphasizes that confronting inequality is not a one-size-fits-all effort but a strategic, ongoing practice that must be integrated into an organization's core design and decision-making.
Second, he is developing a stream of research on how technology can support innovation, shared ownership, and community building in creative spaces. This emerging work explores how digital and organizational tools can help foster more equitable participation and collective value creation.
Across both areas, his scholarship and practice seek to understand how leaders can build alignment in purpose among team members, design structures and cultures that foster inclusion and cohesion, and cultivate environments where people experience belonging. His academic research is deeply informed by professional experience in the social sector, where community-centered processes and impact-driven strategies shaped his approach. He is also committed to fostering mutual learning across sectors, translating insights from research and practice to diverse organizational contexts.
In addition to his faculty role at Tufts, Ahmmad serves as a Principal Advisor at the consultancy Working IDEAL. He holds a PhD in Organizational Behavior from Harvard University, an MBA and an MA in Education from Stanford University, and a BA in Sociology and Anthropology and Japanese from Swarthmore College.
First, he studies organizational development and change with particular attention to how inequality is identified and addressed within institutions. Rather than emphasizing outcomes alone, his work highlights the processes-the "how" rather than the "what"-through which organizations pursue transformation. He emphasizes that confronting inequality is not a one-size-fits-all effort but a strategic, ongoing practice that must be integrated into an organization's core design and decision-making.
Second, he is developing a stream of research on how technology can support innovation, shared ownership, and community building in creative spaces. This emerging work explores how digital and organizational tools can help foster more equitable participation and collective value creation.
Across both areas, his scholarship and practice seek to understand how leaders can build alignment in purpose among team members, design structures and cultures that foster inclusion and cohesion, and cultivate environments where people experience belonging. His academic research is deeply informed by professional experience in the social sector, where community-centered processes and impact-driven strategies shaped his approach. He is also committed to fostering mutual learning across sectors, translating insights from research and practice to diverse organizational contexts.
In addition to his faculty role at Tufts, Ahmmad serves as a Principal Advisor at the consultancy Working IDEAL. He holds a PhD in Organizational Behavior from Harvard University, an MBA and an MA in Education from Stanford University, and a BA in Sociology and Anthropology and Japanese from Swarthmore College.