Astrid Ross

Atlanta born Author, Astrid Serika Ross, affectionately known as Sister Sayeedah, is a 55 year old mother of 5 adult children and 2 grandchildren.  A Suicide Loss Survivor, Astrid is the Executive Director of her family’s nonprofit, Mental Health Support Network.  Astrid is an Educational Leader and has been the Elementary/Middle School Principal and Preschool Director of the City of Knowledge Islamic School, a state licensed and accredited Montessori through 8thgrade private school, for the past 20 years.  Astrid currently serves as the PTSA President at Berkmar High School and serves as the lead for the Gwinnett Comm-UNITY Mental Health Task Force working in partnership with the GCPS School Board chair to provide targeted free mental health educational programs and resource in Gwinnett County’s School District 5.  Astrid is a Mental Health Educator for the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) certified to teach Ending the Silence (a program geared toward mental health education for youth), In our own voices (a program aimed at changing attitudes about people with a MH condition), Sharing your story with law enforcement (a training for law enforcement to help remove stigma and preconceived notions about those with MH conditions), BASICS programs (a 6-week program for families of children with mental health or substance abuse challenges)
Astrid is a member of the Georgia Mental Health Policy Partnership (GMHPP), member of the Georgia Peer Policy Collective (GAPPC), Georgia Behavioral Health Services Coalition (GBHSC), is a Georgia state Certified Peer Specialist for Parents (CPS-P), and just recently became certified as a Crisis Intervention Team Trainer for Youth (CIT-Y).  
Astrid recently published a series of Mental Health themed books that help break the stigma of mental illness and help children embrace their range of emotions and learn how to master them.
Astrid began a political consultancy business in June of 2025 after being recruited and graduating from Emerge Georgia ( May 2025) political organization started by Vice President Kamala Harris that trains minority women to run for elected office, sharing her expertise of 30 years in Early Childhood Educational Leadership and lived mental health advocacy to current candidates running for office.