With over a decade of experience walking alongside individuals and families impacted by injustice, loss, and trauma, she brings both heart and strategy to every space she enters.

Nicole’s work has spanned family preservation and reunification; reentry and justice reform; and substance use prevention, treatment, and recovery. All with a focus on upstream prevention and building protective factors such as sense of belonging, connectedness, and concrete support. The journey is grounded in cultural humility, lived experience, and a deep belief in the intrinsic value of each person. She has spent her career advocating for systemic reform while designing community-centered programs that meet people where they are and walk with them toward healing and resilience.

Rooted by Rain was born from Nicole’s own journey; her understanding of what it means to navigate grief in silence, to carry decisions alone, and to long for a soft place to land. Through this work, she is creating that space for others: a shelter that doesn’t just offer a bed but offers belonging. A place where birthmothers are seen, held, and honored…not just for their stories, but for their strength.

Nicole’s leadership reflects a simple but powerful truth: healing doesn’t happen in isolation. It happens in community; through care that is gentle, grounded, and deeply human. That is the heart of Rooted by Rain.