As Assistant Director of Organizing and Community Partnerships, Nayda leads community organizing efforts, supports parent leadership development, and advances advocacy initiatives in service to Chicago Public Schools families.

Nayda built her foundation in community and organizing work at the Puerto Rican Cultural Center of Humboldt Park, where she first stepped into community engagement.  Over the past 30 years, that foundation has grown into a career spanning community organizing and advocacy, parenting education, school-based initiatives, violence survivor advocacy, victim services, and substance use and harm reduction programs. She began professionally in public health research with the Chicago Department of Public Health and DePaul University, later served as a Manager of the Get Covered Illinois (ACA) initiative at Heartland Alliance, and joined Kids First Chicago five years ago as Program Manager, where she developed and launched the Parent Leadership Fellowship. 

As a Puerto Rican mother who grew up in a low-income community, Nayda understands the impact of structural racism and inequitable opportunity. Those experiences shape her belief that lasting change comes from organizing alongside communities and elevating the voices of parents.

Originally from New Jersey, Nayda moved to Chicago as a young girl and experienced firsthand how segregation and division can impact families and communities. Those experiences deepened her commitment to building solidarity across neighborhoods and creating opportunities for all children and families. Today, she enjoys exploring Chicago's diverse communities and learning their histories through music, food, and the arts.

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