Ms. Ujala Akram

Biography

Ujala Akram is a human rights law academic, international lawyer, and education innovator who has spent over two decades building institutions and transforming education to create lasting social impact. From founding schools and university programs across two continents to championing learner-driven pedagogy, her work sits at the intersection of institutional design, human rights scholarship, and educational transformation.

She serves as President of Blackstone School of Law & Business, a University of London Recognized Teaching Center, where she has pioneered new standards in legal education and helped reshape the landscape of professional training. She is also the founder of Acton Academy in Ann Arbor, MI, a learner-driven school where children learn through real-world challenges, Socratic discussion, and self-governance —developing the habits and mindset to become the heroes of their own learning journeys. She is also Co-Founder and Executive Director of Blackstone Institute of Technology in Ann Arbor, Michigan, which offers a BSc Computer Science degree through the University of London.

Ujala is a Trustee of the North American Bar Council, where she leads an immigrants’ rights education initiative focused on empowering communities with accessible legal knowledge. Earlier in her career, Ujala held positions at Santa Clara University and Indiana University, deepening her expertise in academic leadership. Her professional identity is rooted in the belief that education is the most powerful vehicle for social transformation.

Originally from Pakistan and based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, Ujala brings cross-cultural fluency, operational experience building institutions from the ground up, and a lifelong commitment to justice and access to her work as a Trustee of Starr King School for the Ministry.