Nicole has spent her career managing and developing programs and educational outreach in Cambodia, Rwanda, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Kenya, Uganda, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Over the last decade, Nicole has worked on a variety of projects, including strengthening of health systems infrastructure in support of Rwanda’s Vision 2020 development program, strengthening the social capital of women as an effective means to promote health and development in migrant communities of Western Cambodia, combating malnutrition in major cocoa-producing countries of West Africa, development of electronic medical record applications in the DRC, and scale-up of gender-based violence prevention and protection programming in some of the most dangerous places in the world to be a woman, including Kibera, the largest urban slum in Africa.

Nicole is passionate about targeted, community-driven solutions for complex public health challenges. Her expertise lies in understanding the social determinants of health and her ability to build collaborative relationships across cultures and geographies with stakeholders at every level to ensure buy-in, sustainability, and success of her projects. As we entered another year of the COVID-19 pandemic, the time came to move her international public health career towards improving the health of communities right where she calls home, in Missouri.

“Acting globally starts at home, and as a native Missourian, I understood the fears and concerns of fellow Missourians about getting vaccinated against COVID-19. That’s why I jumped at the opportunity to join the Missouri Immunization Coalition as the new Director of Programs to help lead efforts across the State to boost vaccination rates and promote immunizations to protect Missourians against COVID-19 and all vaccine-preventable diseases.”

Nicole holds a B.Sc. in Biological Sciences with a minor in Anthropology and a certificate in Multicultural Studies from the University of Missouri. She earned her Master of Public Health degree in Global Health from the Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University with a concentration in Reproductive Health and Population Studies and a certificate in Complex Humanitarian Emergencies. Nicole joined the Missouri Immunization Coalition in January 2022. She enjoys gardening, reading, and spending time with her beloved family in the Midwest and is always planning her next adventure.