Okie Nwakanma is an educator and psychologist-in-training who is driven by a deep belief in the necessity and value of authentic human relationships. Okie started her career in education teaching kindergarten through third grade in Harlem, NY. She has since served as a grade team leader, instructional coach, DEI training facilitator, and the Director of Programs for a literacy consulting firm.

 Okie joins the Transcend team as a Sparks Facilitation Partner. In this role, Okie will lead short-term engagements that ignite interest in and passion for school redesign. This work connects to her life’s mission of helping people reimagine what’s possible for themselves and their communities.

Okie received her B.A. in History of Science from Harvard University and her M.A. in Teaching from Relay Graduate School of Education. Currently, Okie is completing an M.S. in Clinical Psychology at Fordham with plans to pursue a Ph.D. Okie lives in the Bronx, New York, and enjoys journaling, yoga, and watching virtually any sitcom in her free time.