Turn around & ground-up leadership from ideation-to-execution strategies for startup and go-to market products. Adaptable and transformational leader with an ability to work independently and collaboratively to drive organizational goals. Successful track record in business development and PR deliverables that yield results. Key accounts management expert; McDonalds, Northwestern Medicine, Cook County, ComEd, United Airlines, KPMG, AON Group, Federal government agencies. Expert in building, managing and motivating teams, demonstrating exceptional communication skills, and making critical decisions during challenges.
Nicole is a senior communications and business development executive with more than two decades of experience working with global, local and private entities on how to leverage communication and advanced multimedia strategies in helping to achieve complex organizational goals in an ever-changing landscape.
Nicole is the co-founder and senior executive member of West Suburban Journal a Chicago-based accredited multimedia company specializing in print and digital news, advertising and agency services. Additionally, she served 7-years as a member of the Illinois Press Associations Executive Board of Directors, a first for the organization.
Nicole’s leadership role involves driving revenues and growth, expanding portfolio services and external-government relations to support business and organizational objectives. She previously led the strategic planning and communications for Illinois Press Association government affairs as steer of the Government Relations Committee. In her role, she secured a legislative win for more than 400 member newspapers resulting in a 4-year moratorium on public notice.
In her startup role at West Suburban Journal, she successfully raised $350K in pre-seed capital. She acquired and managed staff for the editorial, advertising and distribution channels and grew revenues to profitability in less than 3 years. By 2015, Nicole increased the number of print volumes by 300 percent from 1 to 4, and readership by 150 percent from 12,000 to more than 30,000, with a 1:3 pass-thru ratio. In 2019, agency services were added to the business portfolio increasing revenues by 133 percent. Customers include ComEd, McDonald’s Franchises, PECO Pallet, Park National Bank and Forest Park National Bank.
In 2022, Nicole was handpicked by the Chicago Reporter to restructure and rebrand its public image and organization. As the Editor-in-Chief and Publisher, she was successful at building and managing a cross-functional team of investigative journalists, marketing and digital story-tellers. Under her leadership, engagement increased by more than 210 percent and grant acquisitions totaled more than $1M. In 2023, she integrated generative AI and journalism efforts to create chat bots that dive deep into data analysis and shorten the fact-check to editing cycle enabling accurate and faster turn-around of content to consumers of media.
Nicole is recognized as the first African American woman in Illinois history to launch an accredited newspaper. She is the recipient of several awards including the NAACP Excellence in Journalism.
Business Development is a core competency. Master of the top-down selling approach, identifying valid prospects and pipeline opportunities. Nicole has extensive experience in discover, engaging prospective clients to obtain pain points and quality intelligence needed to move opportunities through the pipeline to close. She aims to gain customer buy-in before the RFP process. Nicole work cross-functionally with channel marketing, technicians and project management to ensure deliverables. She has demonstrated her ability to increase existing account base revenues through nurturing customer relations and uncovering VAS opportunities. President Circle 3 consecutive years.