Fatima Salman

Fatima Salman, LLMSW, is a macro social worker and community organizer. As part of the School’s ENGAGE team, she works with communities and organizations in Wayne and Washtenaw counties to increase their capacity and resources in order to meet their goals. Through the work of ENGAGE, she runs the Employment Equity Action and Learning Collaborative, a collaborative of 65+ stakeholders that works together to leverage resources and foster just and equitable economic development solutions for individuals in the city of Detroit.

Throughout her high school and undergraduate years, Salman held leadership roles in national youth organizations that were centered around youth development and empowerment. Salman completed her undergraduate degree from U-M in 2000 and taught language and linguistics at a private school. During a three-year period in which she lived in Madison, Wisconsin, she was the principal of a local elementary school. She returned to Michigan and completed her MSW at U-M. She was the executive director of the Muslim Students Association (MSA National) during the organization’s time of transition and merged her expertise of youth development with her macro management skills. She was the host of the local radio show “Between the Lines” in 2017. She finished her three-year tenure as the president of the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) — Michigan chapter, and also concurrently held the position as the chairperson for the NASW National Council of Chapter Presidents. She now serves as the vice president of NASW.

Salman is a lecturer for the U-M School of Social Work, serves on the board of the Guidance Center in Detroit and is a Racial Equity Fellow with Detroit Equity Action Lab. She also sits on the Community Advisory Panel for Detroit Public Television and was appointed by Governor Gretchen Whitmer to be on the Growing Michigan Together Council higher education workgroup