Nia Speaks
Equity and Action Officer
Senior Business Manager, University of Maryland School of Social Work
Email: nia.speaks@ssw.umaryland.edu
As Equity and Action Officer, Nia is responsible for leading the Staff Senate’s diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. She ensures that the Staff Senate’s equity and inclusion goals align with the UMB's core values of equity and justice.
Nia Speaks is the Senior Business Manager at the The Center for Restorative Change at the School of Social Work. She manages and supports the department’s operations including specialized trainings and workshops, grant-funded projects focused on community engagement, hiring and onboarding new staff as well as diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. Speaks enjoys building relationships with University staff and external partners. She is also a member of the Mid-Atlantic Anti-Oppression Social Work Coalition, a collaboration of social work professionals from several regional universities and social work practitioners who are committed to disrupting oppression in all forms. Speaks is also involved in other DEI initiatives within the School of Social Work and in Howard County, Md.
