Nia Cantey

Nia Cantey’s journey to becoming an instructor at SCPS is rooted in over two decades of dedication to public service, with a particular focus on child welfare and social services. Having earned her PhD from Nova Southeastern University, Cantey initially envisioned a career in law, but the reality of working with families in child welfare quickly changed her path. Despite the field's challenges, Cantey was deeply connected to the work, recognizing the often overlooked and underappreciated nature of public service roles. 

Her career, which spans various leadership positions, from supervisor to county director, has brought visibility to the critical work of public service professionals. This commitment was further reinforced during the COVID-19 pandemic, a period that highlighted the essential role of public service workers, often without the same recognition or support as other frontline roles. 

In addition to teaching, Cantey currently serves as Managing Director at Casey Family Programs where she maintains a deep understanding of the need to connect communities and foster public service leadership. It is this connection to community that drew her to SCPS’s Master's in Public Service Leadership program where she values the real-time application of education by leaders who are actively engaged in the field.  

As an instructor, Cantey is particularly inspired by adult learners. She acknowledges that many students returning to school bring with them a wealth of practical experience, which she views as the truest form of teaching. 

"An adult learner who's looking to return to school is coming with a lot of practical experience that really is the truest teacher. Education solidifies, but it's the practical experience in partnership with education. When I think about adult learners, I would say they are already prepared for the content of the course. What they're going to do now is the major application of that through the learnings in the class." 

Her courses emphasize the importance of marrying this practical knowledge with academic theory, allowing students to contextualize their experiences within an academic framework. Cantey believes that many adult learners already possess a deep understanding of the work, even if they lack the academic terminology to describe it. For her, education is about naming and validating these experiences, empowering students to see their lived experiences as valuable and integral to their learning. 

Reflecting on the strengths of the Public Service Leadership program at SCPS, Cantey highlights the program’s comprehensive approach to public service education. She draws parallels between public service and urban planning, noting that both are integral yet often invisible components of how communities function. The program’s inclusion of diverse faculty with a wide range of experiences enables a more holistic understanding of public service.  

"Loyola has done a great job of hiring faculty of diverse demographics that give identity to what public service leadership looks like. I think the biggest takeaway is underscoring that public service leadership, specifically, is the cornerstone to successfully connecting public and private partnerships." 

Through her teaching, Cantey seeks to empower the next generation of public service leaders to integrate their practical experiences with academic knowledge, fostering a deeper understanding of the work and its impact on society.