Nadine Naber, PhD, doesn’t sit on the sidelines. She is an advocate/activist and award winning professor who understands the tremendous power of mothers as leaders in corporations and in communities.
Past Speaking Engagements
Speaking Options
Redefining Mothers as Leaders at Work
Forty-seven percent of the U.S. workforce is comprised of women who are also mothers. Yet many mothers still face challenges at work. In this talk, Dr. Naber shatters the stereotypes that create these challenges. Audiences learn how to redefine and empower mothers as leaders in the workplace.
The demands of motherhood can create a challenging environment for women in the workforce–like the pressure to hide their role as parents, which creates isolation and impacts their career growth.
Working mothers can face scrutiny—portrayed either as falling short of parenting expectations or celebrated only if they live up to the image of the “supermom” who can do it all.
Working mothers can become overextended by taking on unpaid, “gender-specific” tasks such as organizing events, or providing emotional support to colleagues.
Dr. Naber explores the negative impact of these stereotypes—not just on biological mothers but on all women, genders, and career stages, and society as a whole. Audiences learn how to champion the role of mothers as invaluable leaders and to advocate for greater inclusivity in the workplace for everyone.
Wrongful Convictions: Mothers Leading the Way to Justice
Chicago is known as the wrongful conviction capital of the U.S., but behind many cases of injustice is a movement—one led by the mothers of the incarcerated. These women have spent decades tirelessly advocating for their wrongfully convicted sons and daughters, forcing elected officials to confront coerced confessions, wrongful sentencing, and systemic misconduct in the legal system. Yet, their leadership is often erased, their expertise dismissed.
In this talk, Dr. Nadine Naber reveals the critical role of Black and Latinx mothers in the fight against wrongful convictions. Through her groundbreaking work with Mothers of the Kidnapped, she has helped integrate their leadership into policy and legislative processes—culminating in a historic partnership with the United Nations in 2024. This collaboration has brought international pressure to bear on the state of Illinois and the federal government, pushing for justice on a scale never seen before.
Audiences will leave with a deeper understanding of:
How wrongful convictions disproportionately impact Black and Latinx mothers, families, and communities
The overlooked expertise and leadership of mothers in legal advocacy
How international human rights interventions can create impact local change related to the U.S. criminal legal system
This talk is a must for anyone interested in rethinking motherhood, the criminal justice system, and the possibilities of advocacy—offering a powerful, solutions-driven perspective on one of the most pressing civil rights issues of our time.
Arab Americans: Beyond Invisibility and Stereotypes (Ideal for Arab American Heritage Month in April)
Discussions about diversity rarely address the growing U.S. Arab American community. Yet Dr. Naber knows how misunderstandings and racial stereotypes about Arab Americans matter and have grave consequences in the real world and the workplace. In this talk, audiences will learn about Arab Americans beyond common perceptions of oppressed women, belly dancers, rich oil sheikhs, and terrorists. They will gain tools for understanding Arab American cultures in the real world, beyond stereotypes. She will help them see Arab Americans as individuals from 22 countries that span northern Africa to western Asia with many faiths and racial/ethnic identities. She will discuss the Arab American and Middle East/North Africa (MENA) invisibility in the US census. She will help your company recognize the Arab Americans all around us, from our neighbors and co-workers to to trailblazers like Apple founder Steve Jobs and actress Salma Hayek. Participants will leave this talk having shifted what they notice and remember about Arab Americans while growing a sense of belonging for all while preventing inequity.
Making Arab Americans Visible: Why The New MENA Census Category Matters (Ideal for Arab American Heritage Month, Law Firms, and Human Rights)
Arab Americans are among the fastest-growing racial and ethnic groups in the United States. However, limited data and public awareness about this community have often resulted in gaps in understanding their experiences in areas such as education, employment, healthcare, and housing. In 2024, Arab Americans gained official recognition in the U.S. Census under the newly established Middle East and North Africa (MENA) category, marking an important step toward greater visibility.
In this talk, Dr. Naber explores why this recognition matters and how it enhances our understanding of Arab Americans within national racial and ethnic systems. Participants will gain insight into where Arab Americans fit within these frameworks and how they compare to other groups. They will also develop a deeper understanding of the MENA category and learn strategies for fostering greater inclusion in workplaces and communities.
Liberate Your Research (Workshop for Academics and Researchers)
Liberate Your Research (LYR) is a one of a kind workshop that supports faculty and graduate students of color in how to affirm the parts of their souls that need healing from oppressive academic systems. LYR taps into their powerful potential towards freeing the written academic voice and claiming their innovative theories, methods, and contributions. It is ideal for BIPOC graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, Assistant Professors, Associate Professors, and Full Professors, and in every academic field and every level of academic writing. Learn more about Liberate Your Research here.
Selected Media
Dr. Naber – Invitation for Arab American Heritage Month
The Marguerite Casey Foundation Freedom Scholar 2024 award winner introduction
“Your talk on Arab Americans (Beyond Invisibility and Stereotypes) was really excellent! I felt the presentation was exactly what we needed to hear and the way you incorporated creators / artists really meant a lot to me and the team.”
– Global Head of Equity, Diversity, and Impact at a Major Digital Music Company
“Nadine Naber is simply riveting! She is one of the most fascinating and innovative thinkers. She offers ingenious solutions to better understanding our world and the dilemmas we face. Nadine is such a brilliant engaging and dynamic speaker; you will not be the same person after hearing her speak—and the world and you will be better as a result.” – Clarissa Rojas – Professor, Latino Studies, University of California Davis
“Dr. Naber’s was a key speaker at our 10 year anniversary event. I’ve also seen her speak at other educational and community events. She has a wealth of knowledge and a great presence. She breaks down information and makes it relevant so that it speaks directly to the audience she’s presenting to.”
– Chris Lymbertos – Associate Director, Center for Media Justice
About Nadine Naber, PHD
With more than two decades of studying and leading movements to support diverse people around the world, Dr. Nadine Naber incorporates deep knowledge found in academic theory and translates it into action to support people of color in the workplace and in our communities.
Dr. Naber is an award winning Professor in the Gender and Women’s Studies Program and the Global Asian Studies Program at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC). Her dedication to these fields has led to major awards including the Margaret Casey Foundation’s 2024 Freedom Scholars Award, American Studies Association’s 2022 Lifetime Achievement Award [The Oscars of academia!), the YWSA’s Y-Women’s Leadership Award, and the Silver Circle Teaching Award.
Dr. Naber is also the author/co-author of five books on race and gender, lead author of the 2023 report Beyond Erasure and Profiling: Cultivating Strong and Vibrant Arab American Communities, and serves as an expert author for the United Nations. She sits on the boards of both the National Council of Arab Americans and the National Council of Arab Americans. She co-founded MAMAS, supporting mothers of color survive and thrive, and is the founder of Liberate Your Research, a highly sought after program that empowers diverse academic researchers to learn to write fully and authentically with the wisdom of their ancestors behind them.
Who Caught Your Eye?
Let us know by completing the form and we'll be in touch quickly!
“Dr. Naber’s was a key speaker at our 10 year anniversary event. I’ve also seen her speak at other educational and community events. She has a wealth of knowledge and a great presence. She breaks down information and makes it relevant so that it speaks directly to the audience she’s presenting to.”
You must be logged in to post a comment.