Emani Morse is a communications strategist and youth development leader who brings a practitioner’s perspective to the stories that shape education and youth-serving systems. With nearly a decade of leadership in the out-of-school time field, she specializes in translating complex work into clear, compelling narratives that elevate impact and strengthen the communities organizations serve.
Emani supports clients and partners across the education and youth development landscape, bringing a mission-driven lens and a storyteller’s instinct to every project. She believes the most powerful communications begin with listening, and that when we center people, purpose, and possibility, we create stories that move systems forward.
Her work sits at the intersection of communications, belonging, and youth opportunity. She is particularly passionate about helping organizations articulate the human impact of their work through strategic messaging, storytelling, convenings, and field-building. She is widely recognized for her leadership in social-emotional learning and youth belonging, and was honored by the National AfterSchool Association as a Next Generation of Afterschool Leader. Emani frequently contributes to national conversations about youth development, leadership, and trauma-informed practice.
Before joining Collaborative, Emani served as Co-CEO of On the Road Collaborative, a Virginia-based nonprofit that empowers youth through equitable access to academic opportunities, social-emotional skill-building, and hands-on career enrichment programs. She began as a volunteer and grew through multiple leadership roles. As Co-CEO, she used data to guide decisions, shaped stories that reflected real impact, and led the organization to expand to new sites and partnerships through strategic leadership.
Emani holds a Master of Education in Transformational Teaching & Leadership from Woolf University and a Bachelor of Science in Health Sciences from James Madison University. Outside of work, Emani loves being in nature, staying active, and diving into a new arts-and-crafts project.