Naomi Eyassu
Naomi Eyassu brings a passion for strategic communications, project management, and community engagement to her work supporting UNCF’s mission. A proud Ohio State Buckeye with strong ties across Columbus, she has dedicated her career to amplifying the voices of communities that have been historically marginalized and underrepresented. As a first-generation immigrant from Eritrea, she understands firsthand the transformative power of access and opportunity.
Naomi joins UNCF after serving as a Sr. Project Coordinator at RAMA Consulting, where she led strategic communications, event coordination, and community engagement for diverse clients across Ohio. In this role, she managed complex, multi-stakeholder projects and organized roadshows, field events, and immersive outreach activities that brought critical planning and policy conversations directly to communities often excluded from decision-making processes. Her work included engagement for Blueprint Columbus, the City of Columbus’ green infrastructure initiative, and the Zone In Columbus, the city’s comprehensive zoning code update.
A strong advocate for developing Black leadership, Naomi served in program management for the African American Leadership Academy. In this role, she coordinated leadership development programming and organized signature events that brought together emerging and established leaders throughout the Columbus community. This work deepened her commitment to creating pathways for Black excellence and reinforced her belief that intentional leadership development is essential to building stronger, more equitable communities. Her experience managing programs that center Black voices and cultivate the next generation of leaders uniquely positions her to advance UNCF’s mission in supporting HBCUs and expanding educational opportunity.
Throughout her career, Naomi has built expertise in creating bridges between institutions and the communities they serve. Her project management skills, combined with her ability to design meaningful engagement strategies both digitally and in person, have enabled her to meet people where they are. Her bilingual skills in English and Tigrinya have allowed her to connect with immigrant communities and ensure language is never a barrier to participation.
Naomi holds a Bachelor of Arts in Strategic Communications from The Ohio State University.
When she’s not working to expand educational access, Naomi can be found exploring new cuisines across Columbus’s diverse restaurant scene, attending live jazz performances, or planning her next travel adventure. She believes that experiencing different cultures through food, music, and travel deepens our capacity for empathy and connection.