When Juma Omala MPP’22 thinks back to his early career in rural Kenya, he remembers the moments that revealed how deeply intertwined health, education, and economic opportunity are. Through his work with BoldStep Initiative, a youth-led organization he helped run, and other public health projects in Kenya and the United States, he witnessed firsthand how proposals often stalled. “Due to policy barriers, inadequate resource allocation, or misaligned priorities in both Kenyan rural health programs and US-based public health initiatives, I saw how data-driven solutions often stalled at the implementation stage,” he said. These experiences inspired him to pursue advanced policy training at the Max Bell School.
At Max Bell, Juma gained the analytical and strategic tools he needed to bridge his experience in grassroots advocacy with the demands of public sector policymaking. Courses in program evaluation, law, human rights, and public policy, as well as seminars on stakeholder management, helped him translate on-the-ground realities into rigorous policy analysis. The program’s interdisciplinary structure and engagement with lecturers, policymakers, and practitioners allowed him to develop the ability to frame complex challenges in ways that resonate with political priorities. These lessons proved essential, leading him to his current role as Manager, Compensation Engagement with the Government of Alberta. Juma now leads efforts to develop Alberta’s physician and allied health provider compensation strategy, as well as the policy, standards, and evaluation of provincial-wide compensation models.
Juma’s early work with youth-led initiatives shaped his views on leadership and community engagement. “Key amongst the lessons I learned were involving the people who are most affected by the problems we were trying to solve to co-design sustainable solutions and shape response,” he says. He saw how young leaders, often with limited resources but deep local knowledge, could mobilize communities, build trust, and innovate in ways that top-down approaches could not replicate. From these experiences, he learned that leadership is about creating spaces where diverse voices, especially those historically marginalized, can influence decisions. It also reinforced the idea that community engagement is ongoing, not a one-off consultation.
Transitioning from civil society advocacy to public service required a significant mindset shift. “The biggest mindset shift was moving from a space where advocacy meant pushing hard for a specific cause, to one where public service requires balancing multiple, often competing, priorities,” he explains. In civil society, he championed the needs of communities with urgency and singular focus. In government, he quickly learned that even the most compelling idea must be weighed against fiscal constraints, jurisdictional limits, and broader policy agendas.
For those passionate about health equity or social justice, Juma emphasizes starting in roles that might seem indirect. “These positions often provide the access, credibility, and insider understanding that can later be leveraged to drive more ambitious equity-focused policies,” he says. Building strong networks across government, civil society, academia, and communities is also critical. “Passion opens the door; strategic engagement keeps it open long enough to make lasting change,” he adds.
For prospective MPP students, particularly those from the Global South, Juma advises treating the program as more than an academic experience. “For me, the MPP program was like a launchpad for networks, cultural fluency, and credibility in a new policy environment,” he says. Understanding the Canadian policy context early, building relationships intentionally, and translating international experience into examples that resonate with Canadian policymakers are key strategies for success. Patience and flexibility are essential, but the cross-cultural insights and global lens students bring are valuable assets in shaping inclusive and forward-looking policies.
