Dr. Nilajah Nyasuma Sims serves as the Executive Director of the Center for Continuing and Professional Studies (CCPS) at Morgan State University. In this role, she leads a dynamic portfolio of credit and non-credit initiatives designed to serve the lifelong learning needs of both traditional and non-traditional students. Her leadership includes the administration of scholarships supported by the Bernard Osher and Crankstart Foundations, the Improved Opportunities for Parents (IOP) program, Alpha Sigma Lambda National Honor Society, Continuing Education Units (CEUs), non-credit offerings, and summer programs. She also serves as the National Councilor for Alpha Sigma Lambda, the nation’s premier honor society for adult learners.

Under Dr. Sims’ leadership, CCPS has achieved major milestones, including securing $50,000 in funding from the Charlotte W. Newcombe Foundation, launching a continuing education enrollment management platform, and expanding CCPS’s online career training catalog through Ed2go. She successfully positioned CCPS on the Maryland Department of Labor’s Eligible Training Provider List and significantly increased revenue from online programs. Additionally, she extended funding agreements from both the Osher and Crankstart Foundations, supporting the awarding of more than $395,000 annually in scholarships to adult learners.

Dr. Sims has been recognized for her leadership and expertise through a series of prestigious appointments and honors. She was appointed to the Ed2go Advisory Board and the Alpha Sigma Lambda National Honor Society’s Scholarship Committee. She was also selected as a 2025 Fellow of the New Leaders Academy by the American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U). Further demonstrating her commitment to advancing professional, continuing, and online education, Dr. Sims was selected as a Bethaida “Bea” González Diversity in Leadership Scholar to complete the University Professional and Continuing Education Association (UPCEA) Professional, Continuing, and Online (PCO) Certificate program, designed for leaders in the field.

An active contributor to national discourse on higher education and adult learning, Dr. Sims has served as a featured panelist in several high-profile convenings. These include “Shifting Student Support for Adult Learners” and “The Upside of Upskilling” hosted by The Chronicle of Higher Education; “Leveraging Department of Labor (DOL) Resources to Advance Equity in Action Planning” sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor; “Looking Back to Move Forward: Using Innovation as our PCO Superpower” hosted by the University Professional Continuing Education Association (UPCEA) Mid-Atlantic Region; and “Brown v. Board of Education: Progress or Merely ‘Peaceful Litigation’?” hosted by the UPCEA Diversity and Inclusive Excellence Committee. These engagements underscore her ongoing commitment to thought leadership and policy advocacy in equity, workforce development, and adult student success.

A seasoned educator, Dr. Sims has taught courses in human services at the University of Phoenix, the University of Arizona Global Campus, and Purdue University Global. She has mentored doctoral students through dissertation committee service and co-authored a chapter in Mentoring at Minority Serving Institutions. 

Earlier in her career, she served as a congressional caseworker for Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton, advocating for constituents navigating complex federal systems. Her broader professional experience spans case management, program evaluation, and nonprofit workforce development, consistently centered on expanding educational access and promoting social justice.

Dr. Sims earned her Doctor of Education in Urban Educational Leadership with a concentration in Administration and Planning from Morgan State University. She also holds a Master of Human Services from Lincoln University and has completed doctoral coursework in Sociology at American University. She is a proud member of UPCEA, the Maryland Distance Learning Association, and currently serves on advisory boards for Ed2go and Morgan State University’s Entrepreneurial Development Assistance Center (EDAC).