As AVP of Social Innovation and President of the AT&T Foundation, Nicole oversees AT&T’s philanthropic initiatives, including AT&T Aspire – a $400 million commitment to drive innovation in education by accelerating the learning revolution and connecting it to the young people who need it most.
Nicole manages a diverse programmatic and philanthropic portfolio that includes the Aspire Accelerator, an incubator supporting ed-tech entrepreneurs, and the Connect to Success competitive grant program that funds non-profits implementing best-in-class evidenced-based interventions that keep underserved students on track to high school graduation and beyond. She began her career at AT&T as part of its award-winning leadership development program and joined the Corporate Social Responsibility team in 2009.
Nicole’s commitment to finding new solutions for social issues started at an early age watching her father design affordable housing in the San Francisco Bay Area and accompanying him to community meetings. She joined a Congressional campaign soon after college that took her from her native Bay Area to Washington, DC. After working on the Hill as a legislative analyst handling issues from education to telecommunications, she took her experience to the University of California’s Federal Relations office and next, to AT&T.
Nicole serves as a trustee for America’s Promise Alliance and on the board of the Dallas Zoological Society. She was recently asked to join the Board of the Commit!Partnership, an organization to drive student achievement throughout Dallas County by leveraging data and community expertise. Nicole holds a B.A. in political science from UC San Diego, and an M.B.A. from UT Austin. She and her husband live in Dallas with their two sons.
