Faculty Directory

Malaka Mims, MSW, LICSW is a Boston native and advanced generalist social worker, educator, and founder of a private practice blending therapy, consulting, podcasting, and professional development. With over 20 years of experience in human services, she leads with cultural humility, ethical integrity, and a visionary commitment to innovation. Her mission is to educate, heal, enhance, and empower through culturally grounded, social justice-centered work.

A doctor of social work student at HBCU Morgan State University, Mims also lectures at Boston College, Boston University, and Simmons University, where she supports the next generation of social workers through culturally responsive, future-focused practice and education. She teaches across key areas including ethics, racial justice, clinical practice, macro practice, community engagement, mental health policy, and program evaluation. She is the former president of the Greater Boston Association of Black Social Workers, current chair of the Boston University School of Social Work Alumni Board, and MissionSAFE board director.

Mims is known for redefining the future of social work by centering authenticity, self-care, culture, community, and intergenerational leadership. She brings a bold philosophy: Social workers are the “new creatives” and are uniquely positioned to imagine, design, and build new solutions, systems, interventions, and theories in an evolving world. Through her leadership, scholarship, and voice, she continues to push the profession forward and prioritizes equipping social workers to lead with courage, creativity, and critical consciousness in the age of AI.