← Back to site

Okie Nwakanma

Creator · Strategist · Experience Designer

Professional Experience

Inner Work with Okie
Creator
2024 — Present
Independent Consulting
Learning Experience Designer & Strategist
2018 — Present

Selected engagements:

Transcend
Usable Knowledge Consultant · 2025
Designed Deep Dives for the Leaps toward Extraordinary Learning for All initiative. Built AI knowledge strategy and documented best practices to support the internal team’s use of AI tools.
Teach Plus
ITEL Community of Practice Designer · 2025
Restructured the learning arc for a Community of Practice convening serving 50+ educators, aligning session flow, reflective structures, facilitation decks, and participant tools to the strategic priorities of a multi-year grant cycle spanning six pilots, eight states, and 18 school districts.
LearningMate | Chegg
Instructional Design Consultant · 2024–2025
Developed modules for a 12-week online course on integrating AI into healthcare, including content, chatbot interactions, assessments, and facilitator scripts built with generative AI tools.
NEST Collective
Learning Module Designer · 2021–2022
Designed a multi-week Nonviolent Communication learning module for girls in community-based settings, including facilitation guidance and participant materials.
ExpandED Schools
Curriculum & Experience Designer · 2018
Designed a middle school social-emotional summer book club curriculum with facilitation guides and educator implementation supports.
Transcend
Partner & Sparks Facilitator
2021 — 2024
LitLife, Inc.
Director of Programs
2018 — 2020
Democracy Prep Public Schools
Lead Teacher, Grade Team Leader & Instructional Coach
2013 — 2018

Education

Fordham University
Master of Science in Clinical Research Methods (Psychology)
Relay Graduate School of Education
Master of Arts in Teaching
Harvard University
Bachelor of Arts in History of Science

Research

Fordham University
Clinical Research Methods (Psychology) · 2020–2022
Master’s Thesis: “Centering Ourselves: Exploring the Use of Emotional-Approach Coping in Response to Gendered Racism Among Black Women”
Critical Health and Social Ecology Lab
Graduate Research Assistant · PI: H. Shellae Versey, PhD
Research on experiences of women of color in the fight for affordable housing.
Brown Lab
Graduate Research Assistant · PI: Joshua Brown, PhD
Research on the relationship between identity, social justice attitudes, and culturally responsive teaching practices.

Awards & Grants

Awarded nine competitive research grants, scholarships, and honors in 2020–2021 for thesis research on gendered racism and emotional coping among Black women.

Conference Presentations

Nwakanma, O. (2021). Centering Ourselves: Exploring the Use of Emotional-Approach Coping in Response to Gendered Racism Among Black Women. Poster presented at the Association for Psychological Science Virtual Convention.
Nwakanma, O. (2021). Being a Values-Driven Psychologist. Discussion facilitated at the Association for Psychological Science Virtual Convention.

Trainings & Certifications

Selected

Skills

Research & Analysis
R, SPSS, Qualtrics, Tableau
AI Tools
ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, AI workflow design
Platforms & LMS
Articulate Rise, Dream See Do, Moodle, Blackboard, Google Classroom, Asana, Airtable
Creative & Production
Adobe Creative Suite, Canva, Squarespace, Notion, Google Workspace, iMovie, GarageBand