2025 40 Under 40 Winners

Nicole designed and implemented a new direct mail appeal for National Grateful Patient Day that resulted in Piedmont Athens Regional exceeding its direct mail goal by 189 percent as of February 2024. She leads the Employee Giving Committee at Piedmont Athens Regional, driving participation and enthusiasm for workplace philanthropy. 

Through her leadership of the Count Me In employee giving program, Nicole re-engaged staff and department leaders, restoring employee giving participation to levels seen before COVID-19. She is recognized for collaborating effectively with major gift officers, department heads, and frontline staff to ensure fundraising initiatives align with hospital priorities. 

My career began as an executive assistant to a political fundraiser. While I quickly realized that politics wasn’t for me, I discovered a strong passion for fundraising. I’ve always been drawn to healthcare, so when I had the chance to apply my skills in support of a nonprofit healthcare system in my community, it felt like the perfect fit. It was the intersection of purpose, people and impact that truly inspired me to build a career in this space.

Early in my career as a development coordinator, I had a moment of clarity: healthcare philanthropy was where I was meant to be. I was energized by every aspect—meeting with grateful patients, collaborating with clinicians and donors and seeing the tangible impact of our work in the community.

A pivotal moment came when I transitioned from a generalist fundraising role to a more focused position as an Annual Gifts Officer. Initially, I worried that narrowing my scope would limit my growth, but the opposite happened. It allowed me to develop deep expertise in sustained giving and to better understand how all the pieces of a comprehensive fundraising strategy fit together. That focus has made me a more strategic and effective fundraiser.

At the core, I’m driven by a passion for meaningful connection and lifelong learning. I love meeting new people, hearing their stories and learning from different perspectives—whether that’s through conversation, reading, traveling or spending time with my family. I believe there’s always something new to discover and staying present and curious helps me bring fresh energy to everything I do.

Listen deeply and observe intentionally. Whether you're engaging with a patient, donor, clinician, colleague or community member, take the time to understand their motivations and values. Building authentic relationships starts with empathy—and it’s the foundation of effective leadership, successful fundraising and lasting impact.