SALT LAKE CITY — There are some people who you just can’t encapsulate in one word. Nikki Walker was one of those people.
A public relations maven in Utah since 2018, the community unexpectedly lost Nikki last week when she died at the age of 48. A mother, publicist, mover and shaker, entrepreneur, author and friend, Yolanda “Nikki” Walker was a force, but also a light, which is a balance hard to be struck.
Walker was a champion for diversity, equity and inclusion in tech, and an advocate for mental health awareness. A native of New Jersey, Walker had Jersey grit, but also had her home state’s flair.
“When you have someone who is really good at what they do, and they care about what they do, and they care about who they’re doing it for, you’re going to always feel that because most often it takes many people to fill all of those roles, and Nikki Walker was monumental when it came to that,” shared Dr. Sidni Shorter, the president of the Utah Black Chamber of Commerce.
Walker wore many hats, and the positions she held across the state were numerous, as were her accolades: Utah’s 40 Above 40, 30 Women to Watch in Utah, winner of the Stevie Awards for Women in Business.
Her love for people was priceless and unconditional.
“As an African American woman who is a part of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Nikki still brought us in,” said Walker's friend, Tamu Smith. “There’s a lot of times when Black Latter-day Saints don’t really know the greater Black community and/or the greater Black community that is outside of the LDS Church, there’s not a connection. But Nikki, for her, it just didn’t matter, she brought everybody in.”
Nikki wasn’t just the needle that connected threads of our community. She was a friend.
“We used to call our phone calls “Kiki and Cackle,” because I would kiki and she would cackle,” explained Dr. Shorter. “But we were very much like sisters. And you’ll hear that a lot, because we didn’t agree on everything, but iron sharpens iron, and that’s how you grow. One of the quotes that I often related to us is that, when two givers become friends, they water each other and they grow.”
It was growth that Walker knew had no bounds, which is why the community loved her.
“Because she’s gone, we’re all going to have to work that much harder to carry on that legacy of love and inclusivity that Nikki helped to build,” said Smith.
“We will never replace Nikki Walker,” Dr. Shorter said. “The seeds that she planted, hopefully, we will continue to allow those to grow.”
A memorial for Walker will be held Tuesday at Traeger Grills Headquarters in Salt Lake City, with white and gold attire requested. Her funeral will be on Wednesday at The Point Church, where guests are asked to wear white.
