Makada Henry-Nickie

Makada Henry-Nickie is the Robert and Virginia Hartley Fellow in Governance Studies at the Brookings Institution. She was previously a David M. Rubenstein Fellow at the Institution. Her career and research have focused on expanding equitable access to responsible credit and promoting policies that advance inclusive economic opportunities for disadvantaged families and low-income communities. Prior to joining Brookings, Makada was a senior analyst with Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), where she advised on consumer financial protection and fair lending issues arising in financial institution regulation, enforcement matters, and rulemakings. Before CFPB, Makada worked as an economist with Brimmer & Company, where she consulted and advised on a cross-section of public policy issues including employment growth, taxation, and general economic policies. Makada previously held senior positions in nonprofit organizations where she worked to develop innovative programs and raise capital to support affordable housing for teen mothers involved in the foster care system and expand access to capital for small businesses and affordable housing developers in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. She holds a Ph.D. in Urban Economics and an M.A. in Monetary and Fiscal Policy from Howard University. Makada earned a B.A. in Economics from Hunter College-City University of New York.