Nikki Simpson is a nationally recognized leader in community health and workforce development with more than 20 years of experience advancing the role and impact of Community Health Workers (CHWs). As a founding member and consultant with Institute Equity, she supports organizations in strengthening community-centered workforce strategies, integrating CHWs into care teams, and building systems that advance health equity. Nikki currently serves as Director of Community Health Initiatives at the Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers.
Over the course of her career, Nikki has led statewide efforts to strengthen the CHW workforce and expand equitable access to care in community health centers across Massachusetts. She has directed several high-impact initiatives, including the Massachusetts Department of Public Health’s CHW Vaccine Equity Initiative, which expanded COVID-19 vaccine access in underserved communities, and a statewide initiative to strengthen and sustain the CHW workforce through training, technical assistance, and leadership development.
Under Nikki’s leadership, the Mass League developed and implemented an 18-hour Behavioral Health Training now delivered across more than 50 health centers, equipping CHWs with practical skills to address trauma, substance use, and complex patient needs. Her work also focuses on developing supervision models, workforce pathways, and leadership development programs that strengthen the integration of CHWs within healthcare teams.
Previously, Nikki held leadership roles at the Community Health Education Center at the Boston Public Health Commission, where she helped credential more than 2,000 CHWs and contributed to the development of training standards that has informed competency-based CHW certification in Massachusetts and across the nation. She currently serves on the Massachusetts Community Health Worker Board of Certification and continues to advance policy, training, and workforce initiatives that strengthen community health systems across the Commonwealth and beyond.
