K. Malaika Walton, CAE

K. Malaika Walton, CAE, has built a distinguished career over more than 25 years, applying her strategic vision across North America, Asia, and Africa to help associations, nonprofit organizations, and U.S. government agencies achieve measurable results. Since July 2024, she has served as Executive Director of the International Academy of Collaborative Professionals, an international nonprofit membership association dedicated to advancing collaborative practice as a method of dispute and conflict resolution. In this role, she partners closely with an international Board of Directors and leads a geographically dispersed team, steering the organization through the rollout of a new strategic plan while overseeing outreach, continuing education, and professional development for members around the world.

Before joining IACP, Walton spent roughly a decade building her expertise in nonprofit leadership. She spent time at an association management company, where she rose from Senior Associate to Account Executive, and served as Executive Director of the GridWise Alliance, a trade association centered on electric grid innovation, where she guided a national board of 25 industry executives through a three-year strategic plan and helped grow annual conference revenue despite rising costs. Her nonprofit experience also includes a role as Membership and Programs Director for the Life Insurance Settlement Association, where she contributed to membership growth and led a system-wide transition to a new association management platform. Her career foundation was laid in public service, beginning with the U.S. State Department's Foreign Service, an experience that shaped her enduring commitment to mission-driven work.

Walton holds a bachelor's degree from Princeton University, a master's degree in Journalism from the University of California, Berkeley, and a master's degree in International Service and Conflict Resolution from American University, where her thesis examined the Ethiopian-Eritrean conflict. She is a Certified Association Executive through ASAE: The Center for Association Leadership and was named an Honored Listee by Marquis Who's Who. Beyond her professional achievements, she is deeply engaged in civic and community service, serving on the Alumni Advisory Council for the Princeton Prize in Race Relations and as Treasurer for Black Lives of Unitarian Universalism. Guided by a strategic mindset and a strong belief in the power of relationships, Walton continues to demonstrate that meaningful impact grows when people are united around a shared vision.