Nia Speaks is the program manager at the Social Work Community Outreach Service at the University of Maryland 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.

Speaks’ core values include compassion, creativity, and wellness. These values have been a guiding light as she strives to do her part in creating an equitable and just experience for all people. She serves on the Diversity Advisory Council, where she is a member of the DEI Resources Committee and Anti-Racism Action Committee. Speaks 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.