Staff Spotlight: Five questions with Nicole Brown. Get to know our Director of Communications
Today, get to know Nicole Brown: A Director of Communications with HCM Strategists.
Nicole has nearly two decades of experience as a strategic communicator and storyteller, propelling compelling, mission-centric narratives for educational institutions that promote a culture of continuous learning, and serving as an integral thought partner and strategist to organizations driving social change.
To learn more about Nicole, please visit her LinkedIn.
We’re lucky to have a team with diverse lived experiences. Tell us about your background and how you found your way to this work
→ From a young age I knew I wanted to be a writer. In college I studied journalism and communications but recognized that I didn’t necessarily want to be a reporter chasing a beat. I wanted to be a part of telling stories that mattered to me personally, so I began my career at an independent publishing house before transitioning to the in-house communications team for family-focused non-profits and educational institutions where I found my professional niche for meaningful work. After a professional pause to raise my young children–and perhaps because I was now a mother navigating our nation’s public school system–I became more interested in our nation’s broader educational systems and the policies that either grant or prevent access and opportunity. Educational policy seemed like the next natural step in my professional journey, and I feel so fortunate to have connected with HCM Strategists.
HCM is dedicated to making educational systems more accessible, affordable, accountable, and equitable. What drives you to do this work?
→ Although my children inspired me to pursue this work, it is my colleagues that really drive my work. I have the privilege of working alongside a deeply talented group of policy experts tackling some of the most complex issues facing education today. To be able to have a hand in telling their stories–and elevating the work they do every day in partnership with our clients–is truly an honor. I firmly believe that education should be a joyous endeavor, one that instills a lifelong love of learning and a curiosity to investigate the broader world. It is the biggest driver to success, economic opportunity and an informed and engaged citizenry. I’m driven by HCM’s work to ensure that every student can access affordable and high-quality, relevant educational opportunities that can be transformative for themselves, their families, and their communities.
One of our core values is collaboration. Who are you partnering with and what are you working on right now that has you excited?
→ I always say that one of the best aspects of being the Director of Communications is that I get the chance to be involved in almost all of our client work in some capacity. But one new initiative that is particularly exciting to me is with the National Science Foundation’s Eddie Bernice Johnson’s INCLUDES National Network. HCM is joining a great consortium of partners working to improve STEM access and opportunity nationally, resulting in a more inclusive and representative STEM workforce that ensures that all voices are heard and valued in shaping the future of science and technology. I am part of a team helping to tell the story of this network—elevating the work of STEM programs around the country and the students at the heart of their initiatives—with the goal to create lasting change by going beyond just raising awareness to motivating the people and systems in power to effect positive lasting societal change toward a more equitable and just education system.
What type of client work and impact do you want to see HCM make over the next five years/in the future?
→I’d like to see HCM continue to grow around emerging postsecondary pathways, something that’s already on the firm’s radar and our clients’ initiatives. The ways in which students today learn are vastly different than they were even a decade ago, and as the mother of two young children, I am acutely aware that the avenues of learning available to them will continue to evolve, that technologies like AI will continue to change the ways in which students access information, and that institutions and states will have to keep pace with innovating policies that keep education relevant and engaging to students while aligning to the growing needs of our nation’s talent development pipeline. Most importantly, policymakers and institutional leaders must do this with an equity-centered lens; transparency about the true cost of college and student outcomes is paramount to navigating the changing landscape of higher education and for today’s students to successfully complete a credential of value.
When not working, what can people find you doing?
→ When not working, I try to spend as much time as possible with my two darling kiddos, my husband and our dog. We live in the beautiful Texas Hill Country so you can usually find me hiking with my dog or riding my bike while listening to an endless array of podcasts.
