Makia grew up in Ohio and graduated from Miami University with a B.S. in Business Economics. She started her career doing research on real estate and franchising but found her zeal in activism. As a union organizer she has worked for SEIU, UNITE, and the Teamsters assisting thousands of employees in becoming new union members. Her specialty was campaign coordination and strategy. Prior to joining NCRC, Makia was a Campaign Coordinator for the national organization, Center for Health, Environment & Justice (CHEJ). While working with local community groups from across the country, she educated members about children's environmental health issues and assisting them to take action against an environmental contamination threatening the health of children in their community.