Dr. Nkiruka Catherine Ohaegbu, MetroEDGE Young Professional of the Year

Dr. Nkiruka Catherine Ohaegbu serves as Program Director for Capitol Impact, supporting several business and policy initiatives, drawing on her experience in public affairs, consulting, strategic planning, and operations.

Over the past decade, Dr. Ohaegbu has collaborated extensively with leaders from a variety of industries in the business, nonprofit, state, and federal government sectors. She established Adaptive Strategies Consulting, providing expertise in public policy, advocacy, and strategic planning. Prior to this, she worked for PG&E in public affairs, government relations, and enterprise project governance roles.

In these positions, she promoted sustainable development and clean energy while enhancing and maintaining public affairs partnerships, programs, and government relations outreach strategies for a range of initiatives. Prior to joining PG&E, she served as a Business Loan Specialist at the US Small Business Administration, working with businesses recovering from economic loss due to the COVID-19 pandemic. She previously was a gubernatorial appointee at Business, Consumer Services, and Housing Agency, serving as Assistant Director of Planning and Policy, managing the development and implementation of special projects. She also served in several positions in the Office of Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. including special assistant to the Governor and First Lady.

Dr. Ohaegbu currently sits on the boards of the YMCA of Superior California, PBS KVIE, the Sacramento State Alumni Association, and the Sacramento Black Chamber of Commerce Foundation. She also formerly chaired the Empower Committee on the Metro EDGE Leadership Council.

Dr. Ohaegbu holds a bachelor’s degree from Wayne State University, an MBA from California State University Sacramento, and a Doctorate in Business Administration from Georgia State University. She was a 2017 Fair Housing and Social Inclusion Fellow certified by the University of California, Davis. She is a Senior Fellow of the Nehemiah Emerging Leaders Program, a member of the 2021 class of Leadership Sacramento, and Leadership California CIT alumnus.

Dr. Ohaegbu was awarded Sacramento Business Journal’s 40 Under 40 Award, Diversity MBA’s Top 100 Under 50 Emerging Leaders, Sac Cultural Hub’s Exceptional Women of Color Excellence Award, Sacramento Bee’s Top 25 Black Change Makers, Hart Energy’s Forty Under 40, the National Black MBA Association – SF/Bay Area Chapter’s Emerging Leaders Award, and she was named a 2023 Top Young Professional by Comstock’s Magazine.