The Race Equity Leadership Collective is made possible due the technical and staff support provided by Full Circle Strategies, LLC.
If you are interested in working with the RECollective, please join our mailing list. We will enthusiastically share future employment opportunities as they become available.
If you are interested in working with the RECollective, please join our mailing list. We will enthusiastically share future employment opportunities as they become available.
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Nia Buckley, MSWCommunity Outreach & Engagement Coordinator
Nia Buckley (she/her) is the Community Outreach & Engagement Coordinator for the RE Collective. It is her passion and purpose to dismantle anti-black and racist practices, policies, and systems. Nia is deeply committed to anti-racist change work, and utilizes her experiences to drive work that centers BIPOC communities and challenges the norms of white supremacy. Nia is a disabled veteran of the United States Air Force and has worked for Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS), Arizona's Medicaid agency. There, she advocated for culturally diverse behavioral healthcare policies within AHCCCS, addressing and eliminating barriers to mental health access for members of the Black community. As a mental health advocate and someone who navigates the behavioral health system personally and professionally, she also is certified in Mental Health First Aid. While at the National Alliance on Mental Illness of Arizona, she helped end the stigma of mental illness, creating a safe, supportive space for Black folx experiencing mental illness. Race though a social construct, has always been a topic of conversation at a young age having a Black mother and white father. Growing up biracial in a predominately Black community, she was immersed in Black history and the beauty of being Black. Through this upbringing and then entering the military, it was a culture shock for her to enter an environment of majority-white men and anti-Black practices. While navigating the military institution, she found herself in predominantly white spaces with people who were overtly and covertly racist. With these experiences, Nia is determined to advocate and lead change in racial equity within the rooms and organizations she occupies. Nia holds a bachelor’s degree in Social Work from Arizona State University and a Master’s Degree in Social Work from the University of Houston’s Graduate College of Social Work. |
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Manuel Soares, BAMovement & Capacity Building Facilitator– Digital Media Manager
Manuel Soares (he/him), is the Digital Media Manager and the Movement and Capacity Building Facilitator for the RE Collective. He is excited to be continuing his work with the RE Collective and managing the ways the organization navigates media resources. He is also honored to be working closely with the fellows in the RE Collectives Ukombozi Fellowship who are the next generation of anti-racist change makers in their communitites. Working with the RE Collective has allowed him to continue to grow and hone in his facilitation skills surrounding anti-racism. A journey he began in undergrad after he was trained to become a sustained dialogue facilitator. This training laid the foundation for his experience working with groups committed to unlearning white supremacy and actively practicing anti-racist methodologies. Manuel received his High school diploma and Associate Degree in May of 2018, from Timken Early College High School and Stark State College. He then went on to work on his BA in Community & Justice Studies and Theater at Allegheny College in May 2021. While at Allegheny he was heavily involved on campus, being involved in many protests/ standouts through his time there and serving as the President of the Association For the Advancement of Black Culture his senior year. While he was not working on equity initiatives he was still involved and dedicated to the arts in theater as an actor and being a part of dance opportunities when he had the chance. Manuel is excited to work with this team and be the change he wants to see within his own communities. |