Nicole grew up in Chicago around animals all her life–dogs, cats, and her younger brother’s myriad reptiles. She graduated from Loyola University Chicago with a BA in History. After moving to rural Colorado in 2021 and encountering bears that love to visit her backyard, she decided to dive deeper into wildlife advocacy. Her wildlife journey started with serving on the board of Colorado Bear Coalition.
Her career path has taken her down the road of balancing motherhood and working with nonprofits covering areas from refugees, intellectual and developmental disabilities, animal rescues, regenerative farming, and wildlife advocacy. In her current district, she serves on the Judicial Nomination Commission.
In a conversation with a friend and founder of an animal rescue in Colorado, they discussed the lack of animal law lawyers or advocates in their area. Her friend joked that after all was said and done with the issue they were discussing, she “wouldn’t be surprised if one of us got an Animal Law degree.” Nicole let that seed germinate and then began looking for such a program. When she discovered what’s offered at Lewis & Clark, she knew this was her opportunity to fill a much needed void in her community.
At Lewis & Clark Nicole aims to deepen her animal law knowledge in order to serve her community, the animal rescues, and wildlife nonprofits she adores. In a human centered world, she is driven to knowledgeably advocate for the voiceless animals she encounters every day.
Nicole lives in Colorado with her husband of 18 years, teen son, and preteen son. They have six animals, three rescue goldendoodles, two rescue bunnies, and Mr. Whiskers, their resident hamster. She also considers the bears, deer, mountain lions, elk, foxes, turkeys, and corvids that recreate in her yard to be a part of her family.
“You cannot share your life with a dog or a cat and not know perfectly well that animals have personalities and minds and feelings.” -Jane Goodall