Nefertiri Sickout currently serves as Deputy to the Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer of the City of Philadelphia and is part of Philadelphia’s team of city employees driving Racial Equity Here, a two-year effort working to apply a racial equity lens to municipal operations. Philadelphia has acknowledged racial disparities and devised actionable solutions that focus on addressing them in a systemic and transformative manner.
As a longstanding advocate of effective policies and programs that address structural barriers to equitable access and opportunity, particularly around issues that affect the well-being of vulnerable children, Sickout first obtained a B.A. in psychology from Clark Atlanta University, followed by master degrees in infant special education and developmental psychology from George Washington University and Teachers College, Columbia University, respectively, and finally a law degree from Villanova University School of Law. Sickout also managed several community-based programs targeted towards high-quality early childhood education, child abuse and neglect prevention, and other social advocacy programs designed to help promote positive outcomes and facilitate equitable opportunity for children and families from socioeconomically disadvantaged communities.
To read her full feature in Governing Magazine, click here.