Nia Grace and Nicole Johnson have recently been welcomed to the METCO Board of Directors. Both Roxbury natives, Grace and Johnson, are established pillars of the community in their fields.
Johnson, a Bentley University graduate, received her master’s degree in peace studies and conflict resolution before going to Northeastern for her doctorate in education. Now, she serves as the director of board & community relations at the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education (DHE).
A METCO alum, Johnson will add a much-needed perspective while utilizing her position on the board to focus on educational equity.
Grace, an entrepreneur and restaurateur, is the owner of the popular Boston restaurant Grace by Nia in the Seaport district. A graduate of Cathedral High School in the South End, Grace, like Johnson, was born and raised in the city. Now in a position to guide change within METCO, Grace looks forward to bolstering fundraising efforts and strategic partnerships to enhance METCO’s resources and create lasting change and sustainable partnerships and initiatives.
A graduate of the University of Miami, Grace received her bachelor’s degree in criminology. After undergrad, she worked briefly in New York before returning to Boston. Working in both hospitality and marketing, Grace built her repertoire for a little over a decade before venturing on her own with Grace by Nia.
Both women and six other people were appointed to the METCO board, totaling eight appointees. In addition to Grace and Johnson, the appointees include Lori DiPina, chief program officer at The BASE; Elijah Evans, CEO of Bikes Not Bombs; Tracei Gamble, accounts payable specialist at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard; Rosa Inniss, METCO director at Belmont Public Schools; Bianca Sullivan, DEI business partner at DraftKings, Inc.; and David White, Esq., managing principal at Davis & White, Attorneys at Law.
“These new board members reflect the diverse communities we serve and bring an array of skills and experiences to help advance METCO’s mission,” said Mabel Reid-Wallace, chair of the nominating and governance committee. “Their leadership will be critical as we continue to advocate for educational equity and create opportunities for all students.”
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.