FOUNDER

Dr. Natascha F. Saunders

Founder & CEO | The Youth Career Coach Inc.
Leadership Trainer | Career Strategist | Educator | Speaker

Dr. Natascha F. Saunders, known widely as “Tascha,” is an award-winning leadership trainer, certified career coach, speaker, and strategic advisor with over two decades of experience empowering students and professionals to discover their purpose and pursue meaningful careers.

As the Founder and CEO of The Youth Career Coach Inc., established in 2009, Dr. Saunders has designed and facilitated hundreds of leadership and career development programs across the U.S. and abroad. Her work spans K–12, higher education, nonprofit, corporate, and government sectors, and her strategies have helped thousands of students—from high school to graduate school and beyond—gain clarity, skills, and confidence in their career paths.

Through her signature coaching model, workshops, curriculum, and original M.I.C.R.O.© Personal Branding Assessment, Natascha has equipped countless individuals and organizations with tools to lead with purpose, build influence, and advance equitably.

She has trained and advised clients across more than 100+ institutions and organizations, including Harvard University, PwC, MIT Sloan, Year-Up, Howard University, TRIO Programs, and Boston Public Schools. Her reach includes educators, youth advocates, and professionals in over 100 countries, with a growing global LinkedIn community of over 2,000+ student career coaches.

A highly sought-after consultant and facilitator, Natascha has held faculty appointments in leadership, communication, and organizational behavior at institutions such as Northeastern University, Trinity Washington University, and Cambridge College. She is a past Director of Teen Programming at the YWCA and has served in senior roles across human resources, higher education, financial services, and media.

Current Leadership & Affiliations

• Founder & CEO, The Youth Career Coach Inc.
• Program Director, Certified Student Career Coach (CSCC), PARW/CC
• Visiting Scholar, Samuel DeWitt Proctor Institute, Rutgers University
• Associate Director & Career Coach, Harvard Kennedy School

Impact & Recognition 

• Featured in: The New York Times, Working Mother, AFRO News, CKNW, WHUR, Boston Voyager, Scholastic, CityLine, ABC, and more
• Goodwill Ambassador to The Gambia, West Africa
• Honored with a Senate Citation from the Rhode Island Institute for Labor Studies
• Harvard University Woman of the Year (WECAN)
• Northeastern University Teaching Excellence Nominee
• Certified in Federal Career Advising 
• Author: Obama and Black Loyalty, Chapter on Black Youth & Unemployment
• Contributing Author: Parents Guide to Starting the Career Conversation (Inside Jobs)

Academic Background & Credentials 

• Ed.D. in Organizational Leadership, Northeastern University
• MBA, in Global Business, Johnson & Wales University
• MS in Corporate & Organizational Communication, Northeastern University
• BA, University of Massachusetts Amherst
• Certified Career Coach, PARW/CC
• Executive Education: Harvard Kennedy School, MIT Sloan, Stanford GSB
• Mediation Training, Harvard Law School HMP Program
• FBI Boston Citizens Academy Graduate
   

Published Research

Her doctoral dissertation, Krumboltz, Career Decision Making, and METCO: A Portraiture Study Among Alumni, explores how the METCO program shapes alumni career trajectories and offers actionable recommendations for practitioners and policymakers focused on equitable career development.