Najja A. Haynes was born and raised in Stockton, California. She graduated from Lincoln High School and holds a master's degree in legal studies from Drivon School of Law, and undergraduate degrees in Political Science from CSU, Long Beach, and San Joaquin Delta College.
Najja has served United Way of San Joaquin County since February 2021. She is currently the Director of Social Impact and Workplace Campaigns. Her responsibilities include managing the workplace giving campaign to help raise funds for local nonprofits. In addition, she leads various initiatives that focus on connecting community members to critical resources such as free tax prep services, food & shelter, COVID-19 relief funds, and more. Najja was also an instrumental member of the team that developed and administered the very first unsheltered encampment outreach survey to capture the needs and hardships of the unsheltered community.