Nicole is a seasoned arts leader who brings a wealth of experience to the FAC, serving most recently as the executive director of the Museum of Nebraska Art, in affiliation with the University of Nebraska. Since joining the Museum of Nebraska Art, Nicole led the organization through a period of exceptional transition and growth, including overseeing a capital campaign that has cultivated $28 million. Additional demonstrated successes include conducting extensive community outreach and redesigning the museum’s approach to staff and facility management.
“I am thrilled to join the incredible team at the Fine Arts Center as the institution and region are both poised for tremendous growth,” says Nicole. “I am looking forward to cultivating a dynamic and inclusive institution that is relevant not only to the art world but also to the lives of everyone who lives in the Pikes Peak region.”
Over the past decade, Nicole has held curatorial roles at the Boise Art Museum, Phoenix Art Museum, and the Arizona State University Art Museum. She received a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Arizona, a Master of Fine Arts from Boise State University, and a Master of Arts from Arizona State University.
We are thrilled to have an art advocate with strong university ties guide and inspire a fine arts center that has been a cornerstone of the Pikes Peak region for more than 100 years. We look forward to Nicole building upon that history and creating a vision for its future as a destination of world-class visual and performing arts and arts education in the Rocky Mountain region.
In her role as executive director, Nicole will serve as a key constituent in CC strategic planning, advocating for the FAC as a unique entity within CC, and overseeing the growth of 50 staff members and another 50 temporary employees.
We both want to thank the international search firm, WittKieffer, who met with candidates for this position, and extend special gratitude to Colorado Springs community leaders Thayer Tutt, Blake Wilson, and Susan Edmondson, who served on the search committee led by Dean of Faculty Emily Chan.
“I was glad to be part of a board-based, inclusive search process that yielded a superb candidate with great experience,” Thayer Tutt of the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center Foundation shared about our search.
We also want to thank the CC faculty, staff, and students who contributed their time and effort to this critical search. Nicole will assume her position on July 31, but will begin transitioning through a series of visits to CC in the coming months. Please join us in welcoming Nicole to our community.
Sincerely,
Mike Edmonds
Senior Vice President
Manya Whitaker
Executive Vice President and Chief of Staff
