Nika serves as Chief of Staff and provides senior-level management support to the President of the Civic Committee and the Commercial Club and senior leaders to address strategic priorities and operations.

Nika spent the last ten years working at the University of Chicago’s Office of Civic Engagement in various capacities. Most recently, she served as Executive Director for Innovation and Strategic Initiatives and led the Inclusive Innovation in the Sciences Initiative. Her responsibilities included stewarding collaborations with the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign, Argonne National Laboratory, Fermilab, and other institutions to foster inclusive economic growth on the South Side of Chicago through a Quantum Information Science and Engineering Implementation plan. 

Prior to that role, she served as Senior Director of Strategic Initiatives in the Office of Civic Engagement and was responsible for the day-to-day programmatic operations and execution of strategic priorities that advanced community impact on the South Side of Chicago, focused on STEM education, workforce development, and economic development.

Nika holds a Master of Arts in Art History from the Art Institute of Chicago, and a Bachelor of Arts in Art History from Loyola University of Chicago, as well as other leadership and management certifications from the University of Chicago.