In May 2025, Nakita was the emcee for a livestream celebration of the 10th Anniversary of the National Trust for Historic Preservation's HOPE Crew program. HOPE Crew, which stands for Hands-On Preservation Experience, was one of the first and largest efforts to expand the preservation industry in the country. Since 2014, it has trained more than 802 young people and veterans, engaged over 3,000 volunteers in historic preservation trades, and completed nearly 200 projects in cities, parks, and communities across America. These projects include sites such as Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument in Montana to Nina Simone's Childhood Home in Tryon, N.C., and Estate Little Princess in St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands.
The livestream back in May featured a moderated conversation between Monica Rhodes, founding Director of HOPE Crew and the President & Founder of Rhodes Heritage Group, and Milan Jordan, current Director of HOPE Crew; a reflection discussion with Molly Baker, one of the most senior tenured employees with the program, and ended with three panels - one panel featuring Foundation and Organizational Partners, one panel featuring past participants, and another featuring Trade professionals who've spent time providing the training.
This episode is a condensed, audio only version of the livestream and features snippets from each panel. The panelists that are included in the podcast episode include:
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Bios: Milan Jordan - With a background in architecture and a passion for nonprofit management, Milan’s career is the intersection of mission-driven work for built and cultural environments. Milan is currently the Director of the HOPE Crew at the National Trust for Historic Preservation. HOPE Crew is bringing Hands-On Preservation Experience to the next wave of preservation tradespeople. Under Milan’s leadership, the program has developed partnerships with all seven Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) with colleges of architecture. Expanding from traditional trades...
