Nikki Murphy is an awarded Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Leader, speaker, poet, real estate investor, and best-selling author of Home For Hurricanes: A Memoir of Resilience in Poetry and Prose. As a first-generation college graduate from a tough neighborhood and with the experience of thriving after devastating hardship, including parental abandonment and sexual assault, Murphy possesses a deep passion for both socio-economic empowerment for underserved communities and for equipping people with the knowledge and inspiration to reach their fullest potential, in spite of life’s obstacles. Her writing, speaking, and teaching aims to foster understanding across communities and provide expertise to intentionally tackle issues that impede progress toward belonging, inclusion, and personal fulfillment.
Murphy has over a decade of experience working with Fortune 500 companies to enhance their risk management and diversity, equity & inclusion (DEI) strategies. She has developed and executed strategies to support DEI engagement and the retention, development, and advancement of diverse professionals. This work has included developing educational programs to raise DEI awareness, managing employee resource group (ERG) programs, performing DEI reporting and analytics, and creating professional development programs and other impactful initiatives to support diverse professionals.
Murphy contributes to her community through several mentorship programs, community service initiatives, and as part of her strategy in Rebirth Creations LLC, a real estate investment company she co-owns with her husband. Together, they invest in underserved communities by rehabilitating properties to provide beautiful, affordable housing to low-income families.
Murphy has been named a 2019 Diversity Leader by Profiles for Diversity Journal, one of Face2Face Africa’s 30 Black Stars Business and Professional Achievers, and has been awarded a Certificate of Congressional Recognition. She has been a featured speaker at numerous conferences and events, on topics ranging from diversity, equity & inclusion to self-empowerment. Murphy holds a B.S. in Finance from New York University’s Stern School of Business and is a member of Women of Integrity Inc., an organization that empowers women and girls. She and her husband live on Long Island, New York with their 5-year-old son.