Nicole Washington, founder of Washington Education Strategies, is a national education policy advisor to executive and legislative policymakers, leaders of higher education systems and institutions, and national foundations focused on integrating work and education to build stronger talent pipelines. At the helm of Washington Education Strategies, Nicole has helped guide corporations and philanthropic partners seeking to engage with higher education, helping to direct more than $17 million in investments in the past ten years.

For the past six years, Nicole has worked with the Florida House of Representatives to develop comprehensive policies that integrate the state’s education and workforce development systems. Her role has recently expanded to PreK-20 policy and includes additional policy areas as well as professional development for legislators. In prior roles, she served as state policy consultant for Lumina Foundation, director of government relations for the State University System of Florida, and higher education advisor to former Florida Gov. Rick Scott. She started her career as an educator in New York City, Miami, and Chiang Mai, Thailand.

Nicole currently serves as a board member of Florida A&M University the Association of Governing Boards. She recently served as vice chair of the Miami Dade College board and received the American Association of Community College Trustee of the Year Award in 2022. She also served as vice-chair for the Education Subcommittee of Florida’s Constitution Revision Commission. Nicole earned her bachelors degree in anthropology from Princeton University and masters in international and comparative education at Teachers College, Columbia University.