Najmuddeen Salaam

Activist, Architect, Change Agent, Connector, Consultant, Event planner, Explorer, Muslim, Parent, Project manager

Hello! My name is Najmuddeen Salaam. I was born in Fort Worth, TX. My mother and I have resided here in Ohio since 1979. I am Muslim and the proud father of two beautiful biracial children. I guess if I were to talk about myself further hmmmm, I would say that I am a good communicator and a people person. This is my best strength, being a people person. I know how to connect people, operate upon strengths, gather resources, and do the impossible. I am a self-taught fluent speaker of Spanish. I listen well, but have an opinion about everything, but leave an open mind to ideas and other opinions. I am also a licensed barber, which was a short-lived dream. I did not have the patience to build up clients to earn a living at it. You know bills demand money at the moment and not when you have enough patronage. I love organizational and community development, to solve hard problems with out of the box solutions. I like to be creative and see chaos as an opportunity to change and better relationships. I am the author and designer of H.O.P.E (Helping Ourselves Pursue Excellence) H.O.P.E is a communal mentoring program, with curriculum, that has made an impact on incarcerated men of Marion Correctional Institution since 2007. M.C.I is the birthplace of TEDxMarionCorrectional. I have a strong interest in prison reform, change and championing for the underdog. My career focus is working to provide programming that helps people better their lives and achieve their goals, wherever that takes place. I provide leadership development and give people insight on how it is a must to have a shared vision in things you are trying to accomplish as a group. I provide consultation to individuals and organizations and sit on a few taskforce within my community. I do not sit on the sidelines and talk about issues, but rather address them and look for remedies. I am very proud to have chosen to continue my education at 42 and at 44 to be just completing a Master's degree in General Studies in Human Behavior. I also have a Bachelor's in Management and Leadership. I've been working full-time all the way through and I went to Nashville for Capella University commencement in March 2014, graduated with the highest of honors, Summa Cum Laude with a cumulative GPA of 3.938 blows my mind. I will be going to the 2016 Capella Commmencem,went in New Orleans and graduating for my Master's. It is never too late is my motto. Capella University and their online platform is a great fit with my life. I didn't have the time for the commute and the traditional classroom. And with regret, I admit that I learned a lot about how important researching for information is. Lol! Many dreaded hours of that in these recent years. I am learning a lot along the way and especially about having the needed technological competencies to achieve in this age. My recent educational accomplishment opened up my mind and has changed my worldview, and allowed me to meet some great learners and make lasting friendships. TEDxMarionCorrectional also has initiated an effort to unite and share resources and best practices with other organizers doing TEDx events in correctional environments.

I am passionate about proving opportunities for people to experience a new life. Encouragement and focusing on strengths and not our labels are things I value.

To better our nation we must encourage positive behaviors, resiliency, and showcase the positive culture and diversity that is taking place in the lives of incarcerated individuals across the nation. This is why we are leading a prison reform initiative. To change the throw away the key view we are trying to paint a new perspective with TEDxMarionCorrectional. The strategy has been successful and the men we work with believe that they have lives worth living now. The approach has had phenomenal results. Our events are always interfaced with community leaders. The blending of the incarcerated with community leaders, musicians, poets and edgy speakers on both sides has enhanced and furthered the conversation around social justice, restorative justice and rehabilitation.

Coaching - Life & Transformation, Communicaion skills, Leader Development, Problem Identification & Solving

The men in my mentoring program called H.O.P.E (Helping.Ourselves.Pursue.Excellence) participated in and assisted in organizing the first TEDx event at Marion Correctional Institution. I have given a TED talk myself and also went to TEDActive 2013 in Palm Springs CA. This was an AWESOME experience for me. It was then when I spoke Spanish with a delegation from Spain and a woman from Mexico that I saw the true beauty of TED. TED gives you a platform to reach your local, national and even the global community. TED is an oasis of intellectual water for those who wish to partake of it and or deposit something for humanity. I love TED because it is one of the only places where it is not about religion, politics or labels. With TED it is just about our ideas. What a beautiful place. I wish we could replicate this throughout the world.

Seeing the big picture, being strategic (I am considerate and make people feel comfortable) I am also good at Candy Crush and laughing at myself.