Ahmen Sivaloganathan

CEO of Our Turn, Hip-hop Artist, Social Activist

Mohan Sivaloganathan aka Ahmen is the Batman of Social Impact, as a nonprofit leader by day and hip-hop artist by night. In his Bruce Wayne world, Ahmen serves as the CEO of Our Turn, the nation’s leading movement of students fighting for education justice. As the Dark Knight, Ahmen assumes the alias of Ahmen and uses the power of music to spark changemaking. Ahmen has partnered with young people, professionals, and organizations to advance transformative change in the arenas of education, justice reform, mental health, civic engagement, and more. Ahmen was awarded as a “40 Under 40 Rising Star” by New York Nonprofit Media and a “Next Generation Leader” by the Human Services Council, and was featured in Good is the New Cool, an Amazon Philanthropy & Charity #1 new release.

  • Ahmen Sivaloganathan Keynote Speaker Fee Fee range is for U.S. events, depending on location and organization type

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  • Languages Spoken

    English

  • Travels From

    USA

  • Ahmen Sivaloganathan Keynote Speaker Fee Fee range is for U.S. events, depending on location and organization type

    Please Inquire

  • Languages Spoken

    English

  • Travels From

    USA

Suggested Keynote Speaker Programs

I am a Troublemaker

What if the labels that haunt us during our formative years can actually become badges of honor? Ahmen takes you on his journey from stumbling into Trouble in classrooms and boardrooms to discovering how Troublemaking is a force for good....

What if the labels that haunt us during our formative years can actually become badges of honor? Ahmen takes you on his journey from stumbling into Trouble in classrooms and boardrooms to discovering how Troublemaking is a force for good.

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The Moonshot

When you gaze at the infinite possibility of the stars, what do you envision for yourself and loved ones? Go on a ride with Ahmen to reimagine the idea of a moonshot, and to tap into your own rocket fuel.

Elevating Youth Leadership in Organizations and Culture

Based on Ahmen’s TED-Ed talk, he will pull back the curtain on the game changing leadership of young people. Discover their powerful blueprint for change and how we can maximize the impact of young leaders in all forms of organizations. ...

Based on Ahmen’s TED-Ed talk, he will pull back the curtain on the game changing leadership of young people. Discover their powerful blueprint for change and how we can maximize the impact of young leaders in all forms of organizations.

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Walking The Talk on Equity

Even after a dramatic rise in awareness around issues of equity, most organizations are struggling to go beyond public statements of support. Ahmen will share a tactical roadmap to turn equity into a verb and embark on a journey of affirmation ...

Even after a dramatic rise in awareness around issues of equity, most organizations are struggling to go beyond public statements of support. Ahmen will share a tactical roadmap to turn equity into a verb and embark on a journey of affirmation and growth.

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Building an Organizational Culture of Wellbeing and Impact

Too many leaders are stuck in a broken paradigm, assuming that you must choose wellbeing or impact when developing workforces. As a CEO, Ahmen discovered that you can – and must – harmonize wellbeing and impact, and this talk will ...

Too many leaders are stuck in a broken paradigm, assuming that you must choose wellbeing or impact when developing workforces. As a CEO, Ahmen discovered that you can – and must – harmonize wellbeing and impact, and this talk will offer some of his secrets.

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Storytelling is a Strategic Superpower

In the age of cancel culture and clap backs in 280 characters or less, it is easier to burn bridges rather than build them. Ahmen paints the picture of adversarial, painful moments that nearly led him into the abyss, and how he ultimately sought to live and breathe the mantra ...

In the age of cancel culture and clap backs in 280 characters or less, it is easier to burn bridges rather than build them. Ahmen paints the picture of adversarial, painful moments that nearly led him into the abyss, and how he ultimately sought to live and breathe the mantra made famous by Michelle Obama.

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Fatherhood Makes Me a Better CEO

Ambition. Aggression. Alpha Male. For generations, men have been taught to show up in a manner that exacerbated stereotypes. When left unchecked, that conditioning is actually ineffective and could harm the people we care about. Ahmen shares his...

Ambition. Aggression. Alpha Male. For generations, men have been taught to show up in a manner that exacerbated stereotypes. When left unchecked, that conditioning is actually ineffective and could harm the people we care about. Ahmen shares his story of confronting and challenging those stereotypes, as a parent and a CEO.

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About Keynote Speaker Ahmen Sivaloganathan

Mohan Sivaloganathan – aka Ahmen – is the Batman of Social Impact as a nonprofit leader by day and hip-hop artist by night, while never losing sight of his most important roles as father, husband, son, brother, and friend. He has built a reputation as a Troublemaker for the status quo, orchestrating sustainable transformation and systems change for education, social, and racial justice.

Ahmen advances transformative change by:

  • Leveraging the power of identity, culture, and social innovation to move people, money, resources, and policies in pursuit of justice. Ahmen draws on his family heritage as a first-generation American and son of Asian immigrants coupled with contemporary politics, audience experiences, and shared social struggles to inspire and influence lasting positive change.
  • Cultivating a journey with teammates that is marked by wellbeing, growth, and fulfillment. He engages and empowers people to create and innovate with a keen focus on both compassion and excellence.
  • Shaping culture through music and presentations that activate voices and action to advance equitable opportunities for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color.

As Batman, Ahmen uses the power of music and public speaking to spark changemaking. He has performed and delivered keynote talks in partnership with the World Economic Forum, Stanford Social Innovation Review, Net Impact, NYU, Penn State, the University of San Diego, Independent Sector, Fordham, Synergos Institute, Centre for Social Innovation, Defy Ventures, and the World in Conversation Project, among many others. Ahmen’s footprint has impacted thousands of students, young professionals, philanthropists, and corporate leaders worldwide. His music has been featured on ESPN and HipHopDX, and his most recent album was in the College Radio Top 20 for eight consecutive weeks.

In his Bruce Wayne world, Ahmen serves as the CEO of Our Turn, the nation’s leading movement of students fighting for education justice. He strategically rebranded the organization, transforming it into the nation’s largest and most effective youth-led movement for education justice. Ahmen provides the strategic direction and leadership to advance equitable solutions that champion and enable systems change through grassroots and institutional capability building, as well as campaigning and messaging to influence policy at the highest levels. Since 2019, Our Turn has trained and activated young people as changemakers in 35 states; secured the endorsement of 20+ social justice institutions and influencers; and been featured in Teen Vogue, HuffPost, Fast Company, The 74, and more.

Building on his leadership at Our Turn, Ahmen’s track record includes:

  • In commemoration of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, received a Proclamation from the New York City Council to recognize a program that reduced gun violence by 90%
  • Recruited over 10,000 applicants over three years to teach in the country’s under-resourced towns and cities
  • Expanded some of NYC’s most highly regarded mental health, summer jobs, afterschool, and justice reform programs for marginalized youth
  • Led a veteran’s service movement in eight cities, serving over 4,000 veterans and garnering 5 city-wide awards in New York City, Pittsburgh, Orlando, and Miami.

Awarded as a “40 Under 40 Rising Star” by New York Nonprofit Media and a “Next Generation Leader” by the Human Services Council, Ahmen was featured in Good is the New Cool, an Amazon Philanthropy and Charity #1 new release. He sits on the Board of Directors of Net Impact / Good Institute and previously served as a Communications / PR and Field Organizer for Obama for America. Ahmen holds an MBA from Penn State University’s Smeal Business School and a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering also from Penn State.

Testimonials

“I had the privilege of sharing the stage with Ahmen at a social justice conference in New York City and, thank goodness, they had me go first. I would not have wanted to follow his powerful act! Ahmen took the stage and immediately enraptured the audience with his potent combination of social consciousness and keen intellect, flavored by an outstanding performance capacity. I would be hard-pressed to think of someone better suited to motivate a crowd of activists (or would-be activists) than he is: an impressive next generation leader in the social good sector.”

Rob

Principal and Founder, Cause Strategy Partners

“They say it’s far harder to frown than it is to smile and we are dam convinced it’s a hell of a lot harder to write music and poetry with a positive message than a negative one – especially in light of current events. That said, positive hip hop artist Ahmen must be one of the strongest men to come up on the music scene in quite a while.”

Coming Up Mag

 

“We believe Ahmen is at the forefront of a global awakening to the collective responsibility we have as citizens, businesses, and institutions to use our voices and resources to address the urgent issues and injustices threatening our world. Our future will in large part be determined by our ability to cross lines of difference with compassion, stand up for others with courage and work collaboratively with allies – familiar and unexpected – to imagine and implement solutions for all. Ahmen has proven to be an exemplary model for the type of world-changer we need right now.”

Co-authors of Good is the New Cool

 

“Ahmen is so much more than a talented speaker. He is a passionate communicator who connects to his audience with a unique blend of confidence, humility, playfulness and wisdom. Given his unique positioning in the non-profit sector and the hip hop world, he relates easily and naturally with a vast range of people on a wide scope of topics.”

Laurie

Executive Director, World in Conversation Project

“I’m from Venezuela and I’ve been hearing political speeches my entire life. When I saw Ahmen perform and speak, that’s the first time I saw someone and said, ‘That is a leader.’ That is someone who is using their fire to help others to find their fire.”

Attendee at the NYU Social Innovation Symposium 2017

 

“With the flow of a socially conscious Eminem, and the speaking ability of Common, Ahmen makes this album is a must listen. At the end of the album, if you are not asking yourself “Whose fire are you going to light?”, you need to go back and not only LISTEN to the album, but HEAR the album.”

Jamie Robinson,

Mr. TBT

“‘Timeout’ is audacious, passionate, and powerful. It’s a hard job to seamlessly blend activism with entertainment, but with ‘Timeout’, Ahmen seems to have found a way. In his own words, Ahmen has said that ‘Timeout’ could be the ultimate catalyst for social change, and it’s very possible that if it got into the hands of the right person, he could be very, very right.”

Thomas

Broken 8 Records

“Ahmen has an insightful perspective on many issues, and he is able to share his mindset through clever, direct and unapologetic lyrics. At times ironic and thought-provoking, while at times cathartic and personable, Ahmen really managed to create a very compelling release that reminds why I love hip-hop so much.”

Down Beatz

 

Media

Article

Nov 22, 2022

Meet the Batman of Social Impact

Mohan Sivaloganathan – aka Ahmen – is the Batman of Social Impact as a nonprofit leader by day and hip-hop...

Read More

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