Ahmen Sivaloganathan
- CEO of Our Turn
- Hip-hop Artist
- "Batman of Social Impact"
In Person-Fee 🛈
Fee Range
$20,000 - $30,000
Virtual Fee:
$15,000 - $20,000
Travels From
New Jersey
Ahmen Sivaloganathan Speaker Biography
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 well-being, 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 change-making. 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.
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 proudly owning the title of Troublemaker in Chief.
TROUBLEMAKING IS A FORCE FOR GOOD
The forces of the status quo are built to perpetuate inequity and the suppression of voice and identity. A generational challenge requires an uncommon solution – Troublemaking – to catalyze our agency to create transformative change. Ahmen illustrates a blueprint for Troublemaking to channel your voice, story, and action in pursuit of dismantling an unjust status quo.
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.
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 story of confronting and challenging those stereotypes, as a parent and a CEO.
I’M NOT WHAT YOU EXPECTED
The American Dream story is cookie cutter, idealized, and for some, a fictional pipe dream. Join Ahmen on his story as a son of immigrants, whose search for identity in the United States led him to the discovery of a purpose that is unlike any other.
WHEN THEY GO LOW, I GO HIGH
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.
WHEN YOU FINALLY GET A SEAT AT THE TABLE
We fight and sacrifice our entire lives for a seat at the table, where the big decisions are made. But once you arrive, another battle awaits. The stakes are higher, the spotlight is on, and there is more to lose. Ahmen peels back the curtain on his quest to claim a position among movers and shakers, and the heart pounding moments that led to triumph, failure, and growth.
