Nigena Livingston

Nigena Livingston launched URBAN ACT Academy as an Indianapolis Public Schools (IPS) innovation network school in 2017-2018 at Washington Irving School 14. This building is now Washington Irving Neighborhood School, an IPS innovation network school operated by the Near Eastside Innovation School Corporation.

URBAN ACT Academy’s model was to empower students as leaders and infuse 21^st century skills with social, community and self-awareness projects to develop globally competitive scholars and informed citizens. URBAN ACT which stands for, “Us Reaching Benefiting Aiding and Nurturing A Community Together,” was created with a fundamental belief that schools have a social obligation to work closely with neighbors to continue to make strong and positive impacts within the community it serves.

Livingston has worked full time for Teach For America and TNTP as an instructional coach. She served as the Pre-Service Training Director and Lead Effectiveness Coach for TNTP in Detroit for the founding year of the Michigan Teacher Corps. Additionally, Ms. Livingston has held various school leadership positions including being the founding principal of Jacksonville Lighthouse Community School in Jacksonville, Arkansas and becoming the principal for University Prep Middle School in Detroit. During her tenure as principal in Detroit, her school was recognized as one of Detroit’s Top 20 Best elementary and middle schools. That school also received a two-time distinction as a “Beating the Odds” school which is awarded to schools whose academic achievement exceeds expectations based on the demographic characteristics of the school’s students.

Nigena Livingston has a BA in Health and Human Services from the State University of New York at Buffalo and a Masters in Ed Leadership from Grand Valley State University.