Testimonials

Nikki Daruwala is a very talented non-profit executive. She has a wealth of information that she uses to cultivate the success of the non-profit that she is running – in this case Loudoun Literacy Council. As the Chair of Loudoun Literacy Council – I feel very lucky to work with Nikki and learn from her wisdom. She has tremendous fundraising and grant writing skills. Because of that, she has turned Loudoun Literacy Council into an astounding and bold period of growth.

Brigitta Toruno
President, UNO Translations

 

Nikki has a deep knowledge of the business planning and strategy needs of startup companies. We have worked closely together in developing a business plan to take to potential investors, and has taken the lead in researching and broadening the pool of talent and interest for investors in my edutainment media company. She continues to provide ideas and connections to grow my business and envision outcomes. I highly recommend Nikki for her talent and expertise, and feel so fortunate to have her on my Edge of Yesterday team.

Robin Stevens Payes
Founder & President, EOY Media

Nikki has been working part-time as the Executive Director of a 501(c)(3) startup that I founded. Her expert wisdom and guidance has gotten our organization from nowhere to where we are now a fully functioning organization well on our way to achieving our charitable mission. I have found Nikki to be incredibly knowledgeable about all things related to non-profits. She is an amazing leader — passionate about her work, extremely diligent, highly responsive yet always proactive, creative, reliable, resourceful, and compassionate. I could go on and on singing her praises, but the bottom line is that Nikki is awesome and if you have the chance to work with her you will be forever thankful that you did.

Evan H. Farr
Certified Elder Law Attorney, Farr Law Firm

Nikki worked with us in 2015 to launch a philanthropic collaborative fund called the Health, Economic and Racial Equity (HERE) Fund. Let me first say that she is simply outstanding. She developed our donor outreach strategy and helped us to make meaningful connections to other funders. She was instrumental in galvanizing local stakeholders and connecting them to each other. This meant scores of one-on-one meetings and several group meetings and focus groups. She also developed materials and culled data to support our work. Beyond what she accomplished, it was the way in which she did her work. She was thorough and meticulous in her execution, and she just kept bringing new ideas and strategies to the table. She is also trustworthy; I knew that I could count on her.

Yanique Redwood
President & CEO, Consumer Health Foundation (if, a Foundation for Radical Possibility)

 

A natural leader, Nikki inspires others to give their best, taking time to provide candid, constructive feedback and ensuring an understanding of how the work being done advances the overall mission/goal. Nikki’s willingness to give me high profile responsibilities deepened my confidence and accelerated my career growth. Working beside her, as she built coalitions of investors, companies, civil society, academia, and governmental organizations to advance human rights taught me the importance of collaboration in solving complex issues. It also taught me the importance of authenticity, as I truly feel it was Nikki’s authenticity and honest passion for the work that convinced these often strange bedfellows to take the leap of faith and come to the table to identify solutions. She took the time to understand their interests, points of view, and objectives ahead of time, so she had a clear plan when everyone sat down together to get to work. That said, her strong facilitation skills allowed her to drive forward an agenda, while also ensuring everyone’s voices were heard and acknowledged, and adapt and adjust along the way. And at the end of the day, her work led to concrete, on-the-ground impacts on a number of areas, including more inclusive corporate policies, increased board diversity, and stronger labor and human rights performance across global supply chains. Whether she was engaging board of directors, investors, academics, or civil society members, Nikki was able to convey her message and influence her audience.

Amy Augustine
Director, ESG Investing, Boston Trust Walden Company

As the President & CEO of Managing Your Solutions, I worked very closely with Nikki as she developed and implemented a policies and procedures manual to defer to when making sound regulatory decisions. Now that I’m scaling up and moving towards selecting my second hire, I utilize the manual she composed to act decisively, fairly, legally and consistently. Nikki’s dedication, exceptional service, and genuine integrity are of value to any organization. She has a smart business sense and is collegial to work with. I look forward to working with her again!

Michelle Thomas
President/CEO, Managing Your Solutions

Nikki brings a passion for social justice and a keen understanding of the infrastructure and strategic focus required to fulfill an organizational mission. When problem solving she pays close attention to the needs of all stakeholders; and provides focused and innovative solutions. I’ve had the pleasure of knowing Nikki for several years. As a supervisor, she always took an active role in mentoring our team, and in particular, providing pathways for professional development. She has a flair for developing fun and impactful team building exercises and, perhaps most importantly, plans a great party!

Liz Miyashiro
Operations Director, Restorative Response Baltimore

 

Nikki has exceptional knowledge and execution skills in program management. It was my pleasure to work for her on a critical program for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. She led our team making sure we delivered on the RWJF’s BHAGs (Big Hairy Audacious Goals) – to lead policy makers as change agents in reducing child obesity. I really appreciated how she pushed her team to think outside the box and be creative to solve problems while attending to all the necessary details. She is truly gifted with stakeholder engagement and relationship building!

Kristen Welker-Hood
Principal, General Dynamics Information Technology

 

I was Senior Advisor for Strategic Social Policy at Calvert prior to becoming CEO of PAX World, and Nikki not only worked in the department that I managed at the time but we worked closely together on several large projects. Nikki excelled as a project manager in these instances. Nikki is extremely bright, professional and has a very strong strategic sense. She is a very expansive thinker and a very strong writer, is extraordinarily productive and also extraordinarily collegial. She also has the highest standards of honesty and personal integrity. I could not recommend her more highly.

Joe Keefe
CEO, PAX World
President, Impax Asset Management

I have worked with Nikki Daruwala on several projects over the last four years. I have found her to be creative, disciplined, highly intelligent, and possessed of fine judgment. She works effectively with business leaders, academics, activists, and policymakers. I am very impressed by her varied work experience and by her ability to invent organizations that satisfy her values and serve society. Nikki is a social entrepreneur of the first order. 

David Jacobs
Adjunct Professor, American University

 

Nikki has transformed JwJ from an ad hoc organization to one that will continue more or less indefinitely. She expanded our base and our finances while getting control of a previously self-directed staff. After inheriting a very difficult situation, she came out a winner.

Dave Richardson
AFGE; Board Member DCJwJ
Economist, US Bureau of Labor Statistics (retired)

 

Nikki has an inclusive and interesting style of engagement of the diverse groups that make up Jobs with Justice in DC. Her leadership in the coalition is just the right mix of push and prod, the way a movement has to be built one action at a time!

Carrie Biggs-Adams
NABET-CWA

I have worked for and with Nikki on and off for about 15 years as a consultant, most recently at Global Policy Solutions. Nikki’s enthusiasm for her work always inspires me to go the extra mile. She is professional, dedicated, knowledgeable, and hardworking. I can’t recommend her highly enough.

Elizabeth Sheley
Independent Writing & Editing Professional

Nikki is an impressive manager, mentor, and adviser. She is a fountain of knowledge and uses such expertise and experience with incredible elegance and wisdom. Working with Nikki was a true joy and I often looked to her for guidance and advice on all things – especially given her strengths in project management, detailed execution, and analytical thinking. She’s been a true heroine in the social justice movement.

Lily Donge
Director, Groundswell, Inc.

 

Nikki is a pragmatic idealist; she understands how to create positive change in an efficient, strategic manner. During our time together at Calvert Investments, she engaged in long-term dialogue with the apparel industry to improve labor rights and conditions in the supply chain. Her efforts led to the remarkable turnaround of companies like Nike, and to creating a model for other industries to improve their supply chains. Nikki is a warm and creative colleague with a good sense of humor. She takes mentoring seriously and left us with a legacy of well-trained, motivated analysts.

Ellen Kennedy
ESG Writer, Kiplinger

 

Nikki was instrumental in bringing me up to speed on the world of socially responsible investing. Her insight and experience in the shareholder engagement and resolution process gave me the confidence to nudge companies towards more sustainable practices. Today–10 years after we began working together–I still use the information she shared to help companies be more responsive to investor inquiries and demands on sustainability.

Jennifer Woofter
President, Strategic Sustainability Consulting