Alyssa Nichols - 2nd Place Winner of Exceptional Leader Award

Alyssa Nichols is a renowned leader with more than seven years of experience in campus recruiting and outreach. Currently, Nichols is the Global Talent Outreach Manager at KnowBe4. She is responsible for leading KnowBe4’s global internship programs with over 65 students while simultaneously leading scholarship opportunities, all global recruiting and speaking events, professional development programs, and talent pipelines for each of KnowBe4’s 13 offices worldwide. When she’s not attending events, you can find Nichols hosting her Star Wars podcast, sewing for her Etsy store, or visiting Disney World.

Career Highlight

To further build diverse talent pipelines for early-career talent, Alyssa led KnowBe4’s inaugural Jumpstart program in 2021. Jumpstart is a nine-month program designed for individuals from underrepresented backgrounds with little or no experience to help develop their technical skills while working full-time.
To create a world-class experience, Alyssa designed eight different career-related workshops, such as “Managing Priorities like a Pro”. Individuals were also able to earn industry certifications and work toward obtaining their Associate of Arts or Science degree. In February, the first-ever Jumpstart concluded with over 70 percent of its participants becoming full-time employees! It’s clear that Alyssa made an enormous impact through her innovative and compassionate approach.