BOSTON - December 29, 2022 - Today the Community Engagement Cabinet announced Nakia Hill as the Cabinet’s first Communications Director. Hill oversees the Community Engagement Cabinet’s internal and external communications - a total of three departments including Neighborhood Services, the Office of Civic Organizing, and Bos: 311. Hill will lead direct reports including public relations staff, will innovate communications strategies across the cabinet departments to increase visibility, and is the key media contact for the cabinet.

Nakia Hill is a writer, journalist, and educator who focuses on empowering Black women and girls of color to use writing as a tool for healing, advocacy, and resistance. A native of Roxbury, Hill was named a Boston Artist-in-Residence in 2018 by Mayor Walsh. She continues to work closely with the Department of Arts and Culture to support their efforts to expand funding opportunities for Boston artists. Hill is also an inaugural Boston Youth Poet Laureate selection committee member where she collaborated with other committed community leaders and artists to support youth poets in Boston.

Hill has a track record of effectively launching, directing, and sustaining writing and youth leadership programs for students in grades K-12. She has over 20 years of experience working in the nonprofit sector with a commitment to improving literacy and leadership skills for inner city youth. After eight years at 826 Boston, a nonprofit youth writing and tutoring center in Roxbury, Hill is excited to transition into her new role as Mayor Michelle Wu’s first Communications Director for the Cabinet of Community Engagement. 

“I feel blessed to join the team of such a historic administration with our City’s most committed servant leaders and changemakers,” said Nakia Hill. “Community has always been at the center of my work as a journalist, writer, and educator, so I look forward to uplifting the impactful work of our City’s neighborhood and cultural liaisons who are on the grounds working closely with Boston residents to ensure that they stay informed about public policies that impact their lives and receive the necessary resources and supports they deserve from our City.”

“We are so excited to have Nakia’s leadership and expertise guiding the Community Engagement Cabinet as we undergo an expansion of our communications department,” said Chief Brianna Millor. 

Hill received her Bachelor's Degree from Howard University in Broadcast Journalism and her Master's Degree from Emerson College in Multimedia Journalism. Her written work has been published in the Boston Globe, The Baystate Banner, Fodor’s Travel, and many more notable publications.

Hill is the author of two books: Water Carrier and I Still Did It. She is the first Black woman to become an editor at Boston Art Review and is a founding board member.