Founder and Principal at Downie Street, Nicole is a seasoned strategist and facilitator with a track record of working across cultures to support local, national, and international social change leaders and organizations. Prior to Downie Street, Nicole supported social change leaders and their organizations as the Senior Vice President and Chief Impact Officer at United Way of New York City, where she designed and led program and policy initiatives to increase the education and self- sufficiency of low-income New Yorkers. Appointed as the Senior Education Advisor and Director of Learn and Serve America in President Obama’s Administration, she created the education strategy for AmeriCorps and led service-learning for the federal government.

Nicole was a program executive at The Atlantic Philanthropies, the largest limited-life foundation in the world, where she directed grantmaking to support youth development and education strategies across the United States. Nicole also supports social change leaders and their organizations as a Managing Director at the DRK Foundation in Europe and the United States, as well as through board service and advisory for a variety of organizations.