Nakea West
Chief Equity and Diversity Officer
Nakea West is the chief equity and diversity officer (CEDO) for IFF, leading strategy to develop, implement, evaluate, and monitor IFF’s commitment to become a diverse, anti-racist, and anti-oppressive organization. In this role, Nakea partners with IFF’s Senior Leadership Team and the Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Transformation Team (EDITT) to set an overarching vision for equity, diversity, and inclusion at IFF, and to support the implementation of that vision. Nakea also engages internal and external partners to create an inclusive organizational culture in which diverse, lived experiences and perspectives are celebrated and leveraged to tackle racist and oppressive systems, policies, and practices at the intersection of nonprofit facilities and finance.
Previously, Nakea was IFF’s managing director of resource development, leading IFF’s work with philanthropic partners to maximize the organization’s impact across the Midwest. She also served as Co-Chair of EDITT’s inaugural team.
Nakea has more than 15 years of experience leading nonprofit fundraising. Prior to joining IFF in 2018, Nakea led strategic fundraising and funder engagement for Project Vote and The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, both in Washington, D.C. She received a bachelor’s degree in political science from The University of Chicago.