Nina Esaki
Nina Esaki
Associate Professor of Social Work
- Doctor of Philosophy, University at Albany School of Social Welfare, Albany, N.Y., 2008
- Master of Social Work, Fordham University Graduate School of Social Service, New York, N.Y., 2003
- Master of Business Administration, Columbia University Graduate School of Business, New York, N.Y., 1985
- Bachelor of Arts, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD., 1982
Prior to joining Springfield College, Nina Esaki was the director of research at the Andrus Sanctuary Institute, the training and consulting home of the Sanctuary Model, an evidence-supported, trauma-responsive organizational change intervention. Esaki has published a number of peer-reviewed journal articles on organizational change and leadership, as well as presented at numerous conferences. More recently, she was the recipient of a 2020 Sam and Bonnie Rechter Family Trust Project on Positive Leadership Fellowship from the University of Louisville College of Business. Prior to her career as a social worker, Esaki spent more than 15 years in the corporate human resources field.
Research Interests
- Organizational Health
- Leadership
- Trauma-responsive Organizational Change
Courses Taught
- Practice 4 (Human Service Agency Administration)
- Research 1 (Quantitative Research)
- Research 2 (Qualitative Research)
- Social Policy 1
Certifications and Memberships
- Urban Resource Institute, Board Member
- The International Journal of Social Work Values and Ethics, Manuscript Review Board Member
- Anti-Defamation League, Trainer
- Interim Executive Director Certificate
- Solution Focused Business Professional Certificate
- Human Service Organizations: Management, Leadership & Governance, Editorial Advisory Board Member
Selected Works
Conferences and Presentations
- Esaki, N. & Reddy, M. “Assessing Trauma-informed Leadership in Human Service Agencies.” Sanctuary Network Days Conference, April 16-18, 2025. Armonk, NY.
- Esaki, N. & Vito, R. “Calling all Leaders.” Network for Social Work Management Conference, September 12-13, 2024. Virtual.
- Esaki, N. & Reddy, M. “Bridging Research to Practice in Repairing Organizational Culture.” Sanctuary Network Days Conference, April 17-19, 2024. Armonk, NY.
- Esaki, N. & Reddy, M. “Organizational Barriers to Change.” Sanctuary Network Days Conference, April 19-21, 2023. White Plains, NY.
- Bishop, C. T. & Esaki, N. “Becoming A Learning-Agile Leader.” Sanctuary Network Days Conference, April 19-21, 2023. White Plains, NY.
- Esaki, N. & Bishop, C. T. “A trauma-informed model to create an anti-racist organizational culture.” World Congress on Nursing Education and Practice Conference, September 15-16, 2022. Rome, Italy.
- Esaki, N., Reddy, M., & Bishop, C. T. “Next steps: Applying a trauma-informed model to create an anti-racist organizational culture.” Network for Social Work Management Conference, June 14-16, 2022. Chicago, IL.
- Esaki, N. & Rousseau, C. “Participatory Action Research with MSW Students: Examining Best Practices with Remote Learning.” American Educational Research Association Conference, April 21-26, 2022. San Diego, CA.
- Esaki, N. “Inspiring Ethical Leadership…if not now, when?” Network for Social Work Management Conference, June 7-11, 2021. New York, NY.
- Esaki, N., Packard, T., Vito, R., Lifton, N., Spinel, C. (accepted; conference cancelled) “Maximizing Social Impact by Measuring What Matters – a Panel Discussion.” Network for Social Work Management Conference, June 3-5, 2020. New York, NY.
- Esaki, N., Otten, L., & Smith, C. (accepted; conference cancelled) “Economic Justice for Human Service Workers: A Catalyst Lab Workshop.” Network for Social Work Management Conference, June 3-5, 2020. New York, NY.
- Esaki, N. & Basse, J. “Measuring the Quality of Social Capital on a Nonprofit Board: An Indicator of Organizational Performance.” Network for Social Work Management Conference, May 29-31, 2019. Chicago, IL.
- Esaki, N., Benamati, J., Hernandez, I, Hogeboom, R., Marks, T., & Niedorowski, T. “Transformation Starts with Leadership.” Sanctuary Network Days Conference, April 30-May 2, 2019. White Plains, NY.
- Hummer, V. & Esaki, N. “A Trauma-Responsive Framework to Address School Violence” 2018 Mississippi Trauma Informed Care Conference, September 18-21. Jackson, MS.
- Esaki, N. & Larkin, H. “The Being of Leadership” Network for Social Work Management Conference, June 14-15, 2018. San Diego, CA.
Publications
- Esaki, N. & Vito, R. 2024. Calling all Leaders. Human Service Organizations: Management, Leadership & Governance.
- Esaki, N., Liu, X., & Vito, R. 2023. An exploratory study of employee engagement in human service agencies. Journal of Human Services.
- Bishop, C., Esaki, N., & Taub, M. 2023. Learning to be a leader worth following. Human Service Organizations: Management, Leadership & Governance.
- Esaki, N., Reddy, M., & Bishop, C. T., 2022. Next steps: Applying a trauma-informed model to create an anti-racist organizational culture. Behavioral Sciences.
- Esaki, N., Basse, J., Gray, N., & Reddick, K. M., 2021. Social capital within a nonprofit board and governance effectiveness. Relational Social Work Journal.
- Esaki, N. 2019 (invited article). Trauma-responsive organizational cultures: How safe and supported do employees feel? Human Service Organizations: Management, Leadership & Governance.
- Esaki, N., Yanosy, S., Randolph, Z., & Benamati, J. 2019. Easing the journey home: Creating Sanctuary for military veterans. Journal of Social Work Practice.
- Larkin, H., Lee, E., Esaki, N., DeMasi, M., Trifoso, S., Briar-Lawson, K.,...Yusko, J. 2018. The effects of protective factors and adverse childhood experiences on behavioral health services use: Findings from a population-based sample. Social Work in Health Care.
- Lee, E., Larkin, H., & Esaki, N. 2017. Exposure to community violence and ACEs: Later utilization of behavioral health services. Families in Society.
- Elwyn, L, Esaki, N., & Smith, C. 2016. Importance of leadership and employee engagement in trauma-informed organizational change at a girls’ secure juvenile justice facility. Human Service Organizations: Management, Leadership & Governance.
