Nikki Youngblood Giles, Ed.D. (she/her)

Nikki Youngblood Giles currently serves as the Assistant Vice President and Vice Dean for Campus Life and Student Experience. In this role, Youngblood Giles provides lead oversight for campus engagement at the College. Youngblood Giles demonstrates a strong commitment to fostering inclusive, student-centered environments that support academic success and personal growth.

As AVP, Youngblood Giles provides strategic direction for a portfolio that includes residential life and housing, student experience and engagement, and student intervention and community standards. She aims to build collaborative partnerships across campus, ensuring alignment with institutional goals, and enhancing the student experience through innovative initiatives and evidence-based practices. 

Prior to this role, Youngblood Giles co-created Beyond Barnard, the College’s comprehensive career center and reinvigorated the process of life after college. Immediately prior to this role, Youngblood Giles developed Access Barnard, supporting students experiencing American higher education for the first time.

Nikki Youngblood Giles earned her Bachelor of Arts from Spelman College. She earned her Master of Arts in Curriculum and Teaching from Teachers College at Columbia University and her Doctor of Education in Higher Education Administration at New York University. Her qualitative research examined the positive experiences of students who are the first in their family at elite institutions of higher education and the impact on their persistence.