Nicky is a lifelong learner and educator - with over ten years of experience teaching learners of all ages. She has a B.S.E from the University of Arkansas in Early Childhood Education, with an emphasis on K-8 classrooms. She also holds a M.Ed in Supervision of Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Oklahoma. 

She spent the first part of her career in the classroom, primarily supporting students in 1st and 2nd grade, leading them to strong instructional, social-emotional, and community outcomes. She prioritized empowering her students and connecting deeply with families. Over the last five years, she has transitioned into focusing primarily on supporting teachers, facilitators of learning, school administrators, and other practitioners.

As a Managing Director of Program, she has led the vision and strategy for novice teacher development related to pedagogy, learning environment and instruction for novice teachers, as well as developed vision and programming for diversity, equity and inclusive training for novice teachers. 

In her free time, she you can find her (probably outside) with her kids, Henry and Goldie, and her husband, Nick. They're big college football fans and they love to hike, swim, and travel. She's an avid reader and is always looking to add to her To-Be-Read list, so if you have a great book recommendation, drop her a line!

Why is it important that we focus on empowering educators?

Teachers and students are at the heart of teaching and learning. Their perspectives are not simply ideas - they are grounded in the daily realities of their classroom practice. They are professionals; they have built and sustained a craft that is part skill, part reflex, part wisdom, and probably a small part magic. Teachers have been systemically disempowered despite their centrality to our society. Put directly - I believe teachers and students have the answers. They are the keepers of their own experience and the ones who are most equipped to identify problems, recommend solutions, and advocate for systems change. I believe deeply in the promise and practice of teaching and think empowering educators is the foundation of sustainable transformation.

Why do diversity, equity, and inclusion matter in education?

Diversity is not a contentious idea - it is an objective and literal reality. Students and teachers are not a monolith - we each carry our own identities, cultures, histories, ideas, and dreams. We are, by definition, diverse in numerous ways. To meet the needs of each learner, we must first see them - see who they are, the diverse identities they bring, and how that impacts their experience at school. Without doing this, there is, and I mean this literally, no way to meet their needs. As for equity and inclusion - they are simply right - both in education and also in broader society. The concept of equity - acknowledging that people bring varying experiences, backgrounds, needs and gifts - and that those are all worthy of respect and inclusion - is at the crux of our interconnectedness and shared success. Students deserve to be seen, loved, honored, and supported with their whole selves in mind. Teachers do, too.