“Far too often, policy discussions exclude the voices of young men and women of color. That simply can't continue. They're the ones who experience barriers, engage with broken systems, and know what they need. We have to partner with youth leaders and center their voices as we shape youth policy to achieve economic justice for the next generation.”
Nia West-Bey
Senior Policy Analyst, Youth
Policy expertise:
Children, Youth & Families
Racial Equity
Data and Disparities
Criminal Justice
Youth and Young Adults
Opportunity Youth
Young Men and Women of Color
Health and Mental Health
Young Adult Behavioral Health
Nia West-Bey is a senior policy analyst with CLASP’s youth team. Her work is focused on two-generation policies and strategies to support young, low-income parents of color as well as girls and young women of color. She has expertise in youth development, qualitative and quantitative data interpretation and analysis, and the intersection of psychology, social policy, and program evaluation.
Prior to coming to CLASP, Ms. West-Bey co-founded and spent 10 years as executive director of a community-based nonprofit organization offering youth development programming to young people in foster care in Washington, D.C. Through this work, she had the opportunity to learn and experience how national and local policy impacts disconnected youth.
Ms. West-Bey earned an M.A. and a Ph.D. in community psychology from New York University and completed her undergraduate degree at Swarthmore College.