Nikki Weinstein
Director, Policy & Community Engagement
Tel: 314-622-1250 x102

Nikki Weinstein is the Director of Policy and Community Engagement at FOCUS St. Louis. She works on the policy issues of affordable workforce housing, affirmative action, and immigrant education at FOCUS. She also manages the Connect With... young professionals collaborative, plans Breakfast Clubs, and runs the Bridges program.
She has over 15 years of experience with community engagement and development programs with a strong commitment to social and economic justice. Nikki has extensive experience in facilitation of community meetings, strategic planning sessions, task force work, and is a certified mediator. She has created and conducted trainings and workshops for community residents, volunteers, and other professionals. An effective collaborator and negotiator, she has worked extensively with diverse communities and is skilled at building relationships with all segments of those communities.

Prior to joining FOCUS St. Louis, Nikki worked for the Family Resource Center. She developed and implemented mentoring programs for youth. Her oversight of the projects included budget management, staff supervision, and volunteer training. Prior to her work at the Family Resource Center, Nikki worked at the St. Louis Neighborhood Network under a grant to promote a community approach to keeping children safe, strengthening families, and building communities. She implemented and coordinated projects that included a wide variety of stakeholders including residents, social service providers, churches, and businesses. Her international experience includes a summer internship with the Center for Community Studies in Ghana, West Africa and academic engagements in Poland, Israel, and Mexico.

She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, and a Master of Social Work from Washington University, where she later served as an instructor in the School of Social Work. She is currently an adjunct instructor at the University of Missouri St. Louis’ school of social work. Nikki also serves on the Board of Directors for Joint Neighborhood Ministry, the Accra Foundation for Intercultural Communication and Awareness, the Doerr Center for Social Justice at Saint Louis University, and for the Worker's Rights Board of Jobs with Justice.