About Zakariah
Zak Malik advocates on behalf of a diverse portfolio of nonprofit and corporate clients before city and state governments, specializing in budget advocacy, legislative analysis, and community affairs. A seasoned budget strategist, Zak and the Public Strategies team have a track record of delivering results—securing over $66 million in City funding for nonprofit clients in fiscal year 2025, $39 million in 2024 and $52 million in 2023—to support vital programmatic initiatives and capital projects.
Zak brings with him cross-sector experience and a long-standing interest in politics and policy. Prior to joining the firm, Zak worked on a congressional campaign in his home district, helping a new challenger unseat an incumbent. He is also an alumnus of the NYC Coro Fellowship in Public Affairs, where he gained a strong understanding of how the city operates by examining and gaining first-hand experience working in a variety of industry sectors and institutions. Through Coro, Zak worked at NYCHA, 32BJ, Moody’s Corporation, the Public Policy Institute of New York State, and Industry City.
Before that, Zak was focused on education policy as a Policy and Advocacy Fellow with Leaders for Educational Equity. Zak is an alumnus of Teach For America (TFA), where he taught high-school special education in the Bay Area, California. Through TFA, he earned an M.A. in special education at Loyola Marymount University. Zak is still passionate about education, and he currently sits on TFA NY’s Associate Board.
Zak graduated from Wesleyan University in 2014 with a B.A. in Government. A passionate runner, he competed on Wesleyan’s varsity cross country and track and field teams, and currently likes to run a new marathon every year. Zak also plays drums in a cover band that raises funds for breast cancer research—and once had the opportunity to open for Kendrick Lamar. A proud Brooklyn native, he lives there today with his wife, dog, and cats.