About Nina

I have never fit neatly into one title as I sit at the intersection of many roles: Engineer, Researcher, Heritage Specialist, Mentor, Instructor, Speaker, Facilitator, World Traveler, and Sailor. However, a single thread ties them together: a life of service.

My work is rooted in a long-standing curiosity about what connects people across different cultures and disciplines.  That instinct took shape early when I explored the all cultures within the pages of National Geographic as a kid and truly, it never left. It led me into engineering, where I spent over a decade restoring heritage sites and working alongside those who care for them. Through engineering I realized that technical designs only succeed when they are grounded in a deep understanding of the people and systems they serve. Deepening this understanding eventually drew me from industry into my doctoral research and today, into my own consulting practice where I bridge the gap between lived experience, institutional authority, and technical expertise across industry, academia, and consulting. What connects every chapter in my career journey isn't a title; it is the people I get to work with, and the belief that the best solutions are built with them, not for them.

As an Afro-Caribbean Latina, I understand in an especially personal way what it means to hold onto your heritage while moving through spaces that were not designed with you in mind. That understanding is why this work matters to me, not as an outsider studying communities, but as someone who recognizes their strength, their memory, and their right to shape what comes next. It is why I show up the way I do, and why the communities I work with tend to trust that I am truly with them.