Q&A with Nasaa Enkhbold, Cohort 12 SDP Fellow Alumnus

Nasaa works as Executive Director of Human Resources Operations where he manages benefits, compensation, position allotments and HR technology. He is especially passionate about tools and process improvements that free school staff up to focus on the work of preparing our students to lead happy and fulfilling lives. Prior to joining the district office, Nasaa taught high school Biology, Chemistry, and Physics as a Teach for America corps member. Nasaa is a Cohort 12 alumnus of the Harvard Strategic Data Project and holds an M.Ed. from Johns Hopkins University. Outside of work, Nasaa is an avid Brazilian Jiujitsu and Judo practitioner. 

What drew you to the SDP Fellowship? What did you do prior to the SDP Fellowship? How did you get started in the education data/policy field? 

Prior to joining the district office, I taught high school Biology, Chemistry, and Physics as a Teach for America corps member. I was excited for an opportunity to leverage my experience in the classroom and broaden my impact to reach more students. I was referred to the fellowship by Akisha Sarfo, a Cohort 7 alumna who was serving as the district’s Chief Performance Officer at the time. She spoke highly of the skills she developed and the network of colleagues that she gained. 

What is the most memorable or impactful moment or experience from your time as an SDP Fellow? 

Cohort 12's first in-person Convening was a really special time –  after nearly two years of virtual collaboration, learning and growth due to the pandemic, we were finally able to spend time together. 

Tell us about your current job.  

I'm currently the Executive Director of HR Operations. I oversee benefits, compensation, HR technology and staffing allotments for the district. Over the course of the year, I support every one of our 120 principals to figure out how to leverage a variety of funding sources to maintain their school staffing and serve their students. Each one is a puzzle to tackle with very real impacts on students, staff and their families. 

What skills did you gain from your time as an SDP Fellow that you find helpful in your current role? 

Having complex and nuanced conversations about data. Every day, someone asks my team for data on something that seems straightforward, like "how many teachers do we have?" Through my experiences at SDP, I gained the confidence to respond "it depends," without worrying that my expertise would be questioned. It helped me develop the curiosity and fluency to understand the real purpose behind each question and distill tremendous amounts of context—local policy, legislation, statistics, and institutional memory—into actionable insights. 

What is something you enjoy in your free time?  

When I'm not at work, I train Brazilian jiujitsu and judo... and when I’m not there, I’m nursing the bumps, bruises and sprains I collect along the way.