About The Advoc8te

Hey there! When I am not blogging as The Advoc8te, I’m known as Nikki Peele, and I wear a lot of hats. I’m an entrepreneur, a marketing professional, a consultant, a creative, an activist, an instigator, a busybody, a feminist, a hero, a villain, a smart ass, a daughter, a sister, a dog owner, and a friend. 

And when I’m not busy with that, I like making things happen east of the river!

I’m just your typical “Type A” type. My DC story began in 1995 when I relocated from Greensboro, North Carolina (by way of Virginia Beach) to attend Howard University. Back then, I wanted to be a marine biologist. Instead, I worked in the legal industry before graduating with a Bachelor’s degree in Biology. To this day, I have never used my degree professionally (but it has come in handy at trivia parties). That’s life (and student loans) for you. We plan, and God laughs.

I purchased my first home, a lovely one-bedroom condo in Congress Heights, in the fall of 2007. Initially, my plan was simple: mind my damn business! I was only 30, but I had already gained a fierce reputation for being passionate about my projects (at the time, solving problems in the private sector). So for once, I just wanted to chill out and focus on myself. Well, we’ve seen how well that has worked out! 😂

Over the years, I’ve had the pleasure of starting a small business and launching and supporting a variety of east of the river projects and nonprofits. Still, most importantly, I have connected with my neighbors, amazing people who love our community and work so hard to make it great.

Whether you started reading Congress Heights on the Rise for the first time today or from the beginning, I’m glad to have you as part of the CHotR community!

P.S. Have a question for The Advoc8te? First, check out my F.A.Q.s; if that doesn’t help, drop me a line. 

P.P.S. In January 2019, I sold my Congress Heights condo and moved west of the river. The plan is for this to be a temporary move, but if that changes, I will be the first to let you know! CHotR isn’t going anywhere, and my community outreach and marketing business is 100% east of the river-based. So even if I’m sleeping in a new zip code, I’m still working/volunteering/advocating for Wards 7 and 8. The Washington City Paper has the most details of what precipitated my move. You can read all about it here.