Niya is an accomplished justice-driven leader with expertise in developing impactful businesses and advancing artistic and creative careers. Her expertise spans financial management, fundraising strategies, organizational operations, board leadership, staff development, and implementing equitable practices. A Harlem native and former dance student at LaGuardia High School for the Performing Arts, Niya earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from Vassar College in 2014, receiving the inaugural ALANA Exemplary Commitment to the Arts Award. As a dedicated advocate and mentor, Niya actively contributes to the creative sector as a strategist, grantmaker, grant writer, speaker/moderator, adjudicator, board member, and more.

Niya's career in arts administration began in 2015 and rose quickly, marked by leadership roles with premier dance organizations. She served as Development Manager at Gibney Dance in 2017, where she was part of a 3-person team that led a successful $1M+ capital campaign, resulting in six new high-tech studios and the first-ever elevator at 280 Broadway. In 2018, she became Director of Development at the avant-garde José Limón Dance Foundation. Before the public launch of MOVE|NYC| in 2015, Niya was the organization’s sole volunteer administrator, promoted to Managing Director in 2019, and became the founding Executive Director in 2023. Under her leadership, MOVE|NYC| secured 501(c)(3) nonprofit status in 2020, established a 15-member Board of Directors, and expanded its operating budget from $25K to $1.5M. Today, MOVE|NYC| offers seven tuition-free programs in New York City and Washington, D.C., maintains an international partnership in Scotland, and boasts a 100% matriculation rate to top colleges and professional dance companies worldwide. Niya is proud to celebrate MOVE|NYC|’s 10th Anniversary in 2025—marking her own 10-year journey with the organization.

Niya’s leadership has been recognized nationally. She was selected for the New York Foundation for the Arts’ 2023 Incubator for Executive Leaders of Color (10% acceptance rate) and later served as an adjudicator for the 2024 cohort. She was also a 2018–19 mentee in the Dance/USA Institute for Leadership Training (9% acceptance rate). In 2024, Niya was a Program Consultant for Dance/NYC’s fourth Dance Advancement Fund, offering grant development support, leading webinars and one-on-one technical assistance, and helping award significant grants to 40 dance makers and nonprofit organizations. Niya’s longstanding relationship with Dance/NYC includes serving as an inaugural member of both its Symposium Programming Committee and Ad Hoc Committee on Sexual Harassment. She has also contributed as a featured speaker, a two-time SMART Bar Consultant, and as Co-Chair of the 2017–18 Dance/NYC Junior Committee, where she founded a Mentorship Program and implemented Anti-Racism Trainings. Her grantmaking experience also includes working with the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs’ FY19 Cultural Development Fund, where she helped distribute $1.4M to nonprofit cultural organizations. Niya currently serves as Board Chair of MICHIYAYA Dance, a queer and femme-centric contemporary dance company based in New York City and Pittsburgh.

As a speaker and moderator, Niya has been featured by American Express, Dance/USA, the International Association of Blacks in Dance Conference, Gibney Dance, Vassar College, and the SUNY Purchase Conservatory of Dance.

Beyond the arts and cultural sector, Niya has a range of personal interests, including global travel, exotic animal care, voiceover work, and screenwriting.