From the Community: Why this Nominee Stands Out

“I've had the privilege of working with Nicole at two different companies, and each time, she has been a true trailblazer in the early talent space. Nicole has a deep understanding of where University Recruiting can go—not just in filling roles, but in shaping the future of the organization. She's built functions from the ground up, scaled them across regions, and transformed them into strategic pipelines that influence long-term workforce planning.

One of Nicole’s greatest strengths is her ability to bridge the gap between Gen Z candidates and company leadership. She doesn’t just advocate for early talent—she educates senior leaders on why investing in them matters. At our current company, she helped reimagine our early talent engagement by aligning recruiting efforts with broader business goals. This included launching high-impact internship programs, embedding DEI into the strategy, and securing executive sponsorship through clear storytelling and data-driven insights.

Nicole has consistently led her teams with vision and empathy, empowering them to innovate—from campus brand activations to candidate experience revamps that speak directly to what Gen Z values: authenticity, flexibility, and purpose. Her leadership has been instrumental in shifting early talent from a “nice to have” to a business-critical strategy.”