Aisha Elliott

Aisha Elliott holds a Master of Science in Nonprofit Management from Columbia University’s School of Professional Studies, and is passionate about dismantling the harmful systems that inflict injustices against women in marginalized communities.

Before joining Women’s Prison Association (WPA) as Chief Program Officer, Aisha spent five years as a Researcher at Columbia University’s Justice Lab, contributing to the Rikers Island Longitudinal Study (RILS) and The Square One Project; both local and national initiatives focused on reimagining justice and foundationally reconsidering our response to racism, violence, and economic inequity.

Aisha is one of six women who rebuilt the college program in Bedford Hills Correctional Facility after the elimination of Pell and TAP grants for incarcerated students. As a Co-researcher on the Women Transcending Oral History Project with Columbia University’s Center for Justice, she helped document this powerful story of resilience, leadership, and educational justice. This work led to her role as Co-Director of the award-winning short documentary Degrees of Freedom, which uplifts the transformative power of education, women’s leadership, and community inside prison.

Aisha’s leadership is informed by both her professional and personal experiences with incarceration, and she is deeply invested in creating pathways for healing, opportunity, and freedom, particularly for women and girls impacted by the criminal legal system.

She is also the Co-Founder and Board President of Women Building Up, Inc., a collective of gender and social justice leaders working to advance the rights of women and girls through direct support, advocacy, and systems change.

As Chief Program Officer, Aisha brings a vision for how programs can be bold, trauma responsive, and rooted in dignity and possibility.