About

"Self-reflection and transparency are fundamental to personal and professional growth. I believe these two attributes propel us to transform into our best selves, ultimately enabling us to make a significant mark in the book of life."

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Dr. NNeka Allen-Harrison

Inspire | Empower | Educate

Dr. NNeka

"Leading, Educating, and Empowering Others to Live and Lead Purposefully."

Dr. NNeka Allen-Harrison, a seasoned educator, consultant, and thought leader, has dedicated her career to fostering leadership and innovation in educational institutions and community-based agencies. She has spearheaded numerous initiatives as a co-founder of Leaders Innovators & Forward Thinkers of Tomorrow (LIFTT Inc.) and Summit Learning Institute, LLC. Her publication record for various audiences, including books and articles, is a testament to her contributions as a practitioner-researcher and leader. Currently, she is lending her expertise as a dissertation chair at Mills College at Northeastern.

EDUCATION

Ed.D., Educational Leadership, Mills College School of Education

M.Ed., Educational Leadership in Early Childhood Education, Mills College School of Education

B.A., Criminal Justice, Clark-Atlanta University

MISSION

Dr. Allen-Harrison’s mission in the social change ecosystem is to help eradicate racial and economic disparities by providing education, digital resources, sustainable pathways, and pipelines that improve educational outcomes and economic mobility for historically marginalized individuals in California. Her research, which is directly applicable to the Bay Area, centers on implementing the Empowerment Model of Social Change to enhance economic outcomes for Black San Francisco Bay Area workers. The ultimate goal is to create a shared consciousness that encourages collective action within the San Francisco Bay Area.

PEDAGOGY

My pedagogical practice draws on my experience in educational leadership and my understanding of relevant theory, research, and practice. Additionally, I have established solid connections and relationships with local practitioners involved in impactful social justice work, which also informs my teaching. Since 2019, I have taught courses in the Mills College Educational Leadership Program that focused on issues of equity, justice, and historical social change movements (including those in the San Francisco Bay Area) that have worked toward addressing the following key issues affecting BIPOC people: employment, housing, the justice gap, and public education. These courses have enabled students to explore these thematic areas through a historical lens for critical dialogue that challenges them to interrogate their thinking about levels of oppression and ways to dismantle those systems for positive social change.

As a professor, practitioner, and researcher with years of personal and professional experience in understanding the impact of systems of oppression, I am committed to promoting equity, justice, and liberation. My work is centered around facilitating critical dialogues and meta-reflection that enable students to think about how different forms of oppression create interpersonal and intrapersonal barriers to effective leadership practices. Additionally, I facilitate meta-reflection writing assignments examining how these barriers produce toxic workspaces that cause harm.

CURRENT COMMUNITY-ENGAGED RESEARCH (CER)

Phase One Research Title: Bay Area Black Voices: Employment Outcomes of the Black Labor Force in The San Francisco Bay Area

Phase Two Research Title: Bay Area Black Voices: An Investigation of Black Labor Force Experiences in The San Francisco Bay Area