Nia Chiaramonte (care-uh-MON-tee), MBA., SPHR, SHRM-SCP, pHCLE, is ATD’s executive director of human resources. She brings 18 years of human resources experience and has served for the past six years in executive-level roles. In her executive director role, Nia partners with leadership to advance organizational priorities in the human resources space, including equity and belonging, staff engagement, talent development, and recruitment.
Throughout her time as a human resources professional, Nia has focused on creating a culture of love, inclusivity, and “Employees First,” understanding that individuals and teams must feel safe and secure before they can grow into a cohesive, powerful organization that makes a difference. Her most recent job as senior director of people at LifeStraw (a startup that innovates consumer products for clean water access) gave her a global humanitarian perspective, and her previous job as director of human resources at Heartland Area Education Agency in Des Moines, Iowa, helped to give her the passion for education that she has today.
Nia has a B.A. in psychology and an MBA with an emphasis in Human Resources. After 35 years of hiding, scared to be who she is, Nia came out as a transgender woman. She is a mother of five children and lives in Baltimore with her wife Katie, after moving from Des Moines in 2022.
As an avid fan of The Office, there is no shortage of humor in her life. She loves to laugh at life and has written two books, The Story of Nib, about her own journey (out now), and Embracing Queer Family, with her wife Katie, due out in May 2024.
Education:
MBA, emphasis on Human Resources Management | Northwest Missouri State University
B.A., Psychology/Business | University of Northern Iowa
Past Experience:
Senior Director of People | LifeStraw
Director of Human Resources | Heartland Area Education Agency
Human Resources Manager | Heartland Area Education Agency
Human Resources Team Lead | Heartland Area Education Agency
Human Resources Generalist | Heartland Area Education Agency
How has education changed your life/your family?
As a lifelong learner, education has given me the opportunity to grow and expand personally and professionally. I’ve also seen all types of educational approaches with my five children that have shown me the power of education for all personality types and abilities. My middle son has cerebral palsy and was adopted from China at age three. His teachers’ abilities to teach him the English language, including reading and writing, have given him a now voracious thirst for reading. Working in special education for 11 years, I’ve seen so many first-hand accounts of education changing lives.