Yusuf Dahl’s journey defies expectations. A creator, educator, and catalyst for change, he has transformed adversity into opportunity, shaping ideas, programs, and spaces that drive impact.

Raised in difficult circumstances in Milwaukee, Yusuf learned early how to survive on his own. By age 14, he was in juvenile detention for a three-year sentence where he learned the best path to wealth creation in his community was drug dealing

Upon his release, Yusuf adeptly followed his business plan and soon was operating a network of drug houses across Milwaukee before being sentenced to ten-and-a-half years in prison.

Determined to rewrite his future, Yusuf taught himself software development behind bars. But after serving five years, he faced the stark reality of trying to rebuild his life as a young man with a criminal record.

Unable to secure stable employment, he turned to real estate—first as a necessity, then as a mission. Amid a foreclosure crisis decimating his community, he founded Milwaukee Metro Management (MMM) with a vision to create high-quality, affordable housing. Starting with a single duplex in one of Milwaukee’s poorest zip codes, he built MMM into an award-winning development and management company with over 200 residential and commercial units.

Elected president of Wisconsin’s largest apartment owners trade association, Yusuf championed legislative solutions to tackle the industry’s toughest challenges. His work in policy and innovation led him to Princeton University, where he earned a Master of Public Administration (MPA) as a graduate fellow at the Center for Information and Technology Policy.

After Princeton, Yusuf became the founding director of the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship at Lafayette College, where he built a nationally recognized program to empower the next generation of entrepreneurs and changemakers. He has also been awarded prestigious fellowships from Google and Tata Consultancy Services in Kolkata, India.

As CEO of The Century Promise and founder of the Real Estate Lab in Allentown, PA, Yusuf continues his mission to expand access and opportunity. He is also leading the national effort to repeal the Thurmond Amendment—a relic of the failed war on drugs that imposes lifelong housing barriers on individuals with drug distribution convictions.

From adversity to impact, from incarceration to the Ivy League, Yusuf Dahl’s story is one of transformation, resilience, and an unwavering commitment to building a better future for his family and community.

His work and story has been featured in The Washington Post, Good Morning America, VICE Media, and other major media outlets.