NaKhia was born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland by a single mom of 4. NaKhia always had a love for learning and her early childhood dream was to be a teacher. Throughout her youth she gravitated towards those on the fringe who did not belong to any social group, and later she developed a voice to speak up for those in underrepresented communities.
Christian faith was also a large part of NaKhia’s youth. She and her family attended church faithfully and when she went to college at Bucknell University in Central Pennsylvania, she had to figure her faith out for herself as an adult. She connected with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, a national campus ministry organization, and helped to start a Christian community on her campus that especially welcomed those on the margins. Being a part of this community rekindled NaKhia’s love for Jesus Christ and grew her heart to serve others, especially those in marginalized communities. She graduated in 2001 with a BS in Computer Science and became a Campus Minister with InterVarsity continuing to serve college students.
Over the last two decades serving with InterVarsity, NaKhia has employed her multifaceted leadership in a variety of ways. As a mentor, trainer, and coach, NaKhia has empowered student leader volunteers, off campus volunteers, and other InterVarsity Campus Ministers to realize their full potential. She has developed and led an array of teams acting as a catalyst to bring about organizational change and a healthy organizational culture for all to thrive.
Additionally, NaKhia has functioned as a keynote speaker, national leader, senior level regional leader, strategic event planner, founder, small group leader, workshop/seminar facilitator, and a fundraiser of tens of thousands of dollars annually. She is especially gifted in working with young adults and has a heart for developing leaders of color. Alongside her vocational ministry work with InterVarsity, NaKhia has served in church leadership the last 20 years.
Currently in InterVarsity, NaKhia serves as an Assistant Regional Ministry Director for the Mid-Atlantic region helping to oversee ministry work in Eastern Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, and Washington, DC. She also serves nationally within InterVarsity’s Black Campus Ministries Department with mentoring leaders from across the country.
NaKhia is happily married to her amazing husband of 16 years, Tarik, and is the mom to an imaginative 7 year old, Daniel. They reside together outside of Washington, DC.