Meet the Team: Nikki Hawkins

Our Meet the Team blog series give you a glimpse into our team members' approach to working with our partners to achieve better results for communities. Today we’re getting to know our Director of People and Operations, Nikki Hawkins.

nikki and her two children

1. What is your role at Engage R+D?

As the Director of People and Operations, my role is to strengthen internal operations, infrastructure, and well-being, ensuring Engage R+D's people and operational policies and procedures are transparent and aligned with organizational culture, strategic direction, and commitment to equity and inclusion. Most importantly, my role includes supporting a talented and values-aligned team of diverse professionals and fostering a collaborative environment that values inclusiveness and creates the conditions for the team to do our best work.

2. What experience do you bring to this work? 

I bring a great deal of lived experience and over two decades of professional experience leading HR and operations at progressive organizations in the non-profit and education reform sectors. For the past 22 years, I have led and supported a number of programs and organizations, which all have shared the mission of creating better opportunities for children, families, and communities, especially those under-resourced, Black, Latinx, and LGBTQ communities.

3. Can you share something that motivates you? 

As an African American woman from the inner city of Boston, Massachusetts, and a first-generation college graduate, I am profoundly aware of the importance of having access to resources. This awareness motivates me to work to advance social justice and racial equity and advocate for underrepresented and underserved communities personally and professionally. I am super excited to continue these efforts as an Engage R+D team member and leverage my background, experiences, and passion for supporting the work to leverage people, data, and ideas to advance equity and fuel social change in communities.  

4. What do you love about your job? 

My teammates! I am grateful to work with a team of super-intelligent, passionate, and incredibly kind people. It is inspiring to be a part of a team that values relationships and genuinely cares about each other.

5. How are you taking care of yourself these days? 

As a mom of two, a middle child, and an empath, while I tend to focus on caring for others, I have learned that taking care of myself (also!)  is essential. I am working on caring for myself these days in two ways, by taking space and giving grace. 

I am working on taking space by permitting myself to do what I need to do to be my best, including taking breaks/naps, eating good food, having alone time, and pampering myself with treatments (manicures/pedicures/massages) and experiences (girls' trips!).

I am working on giving grace by extending the grace I give to others to myself (as well), learning to be more comfortable with making mistakes, and releasing myself from the expectation of being a perfectionist.

While it has been challenging to remain consistent, I am making progress!