Kaj Najee Gumbs serves as the manager of government affairs for Niskanen Center’s social policy team, where he works to advance the think tank’s policy approaches to housing, healthcare, and transportation. He previously served as a government affairs associate for The Ferguson Group– a client-centered lobbying firm focused on state, county, and municipal government funding and community development priorities. While with this firm, he managed a unique client portfolio that focused on non-profit advocacy including access to quality healthcare and reforms to the 340B program.
Prior to his time with The Ferguson group, Gumbs was hired as a legal legislative fellow in the office of Congressman G. K. Butterfield. His duties focused on emerging Facial Recognition technology, Privacy and Data policy, and Artificial Intelligence. Upon completion of his fellowship in Washington, Gumbs was hired full-time as the office’s Community Outreach and Constituent Services Liaison where he assisted with constituent services issues specifically pertaining to the Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Prisons, Equal Employment and Opportunity Commission, and the United States Department of State.
He is a 2017 graduate of Morehouse college where he had the privilege of serving numerous organizations including the United States Department of State–U.S. Consulate General Toronto, the Fulton County Government, the NAACP, and the AFL-CIO. He is also an early 2022 graduate of Texas Southern University Thurgood Marshall School of Law.