Nicole has been an active member of the San Diego innovation community for over 7 years — helping the growth of several startups and organizations around town. She is currently Marketing Director at Connect, working to help the org source top companies, build a strong platform in the Venture Capital landscape, and become a known and trusted resource in the community. 

She came into Connect through the merger with the San Diego Venture Group, where she helped establish San Diego in the national VC community, supporting programs to highlight top companies and encourage investment — resulting in major shifts to the financial landscape in Southern California. She assisted with San Diego being the first US city to open a startup office in Silicon Valley, simultaneously bringing out hundreds of SV engineers to meet SD companies. 

In past years, she played a major role in the establishment and growth of Startup San Diego and SD Startup Week. She has served on the Board of Directors, and received the Lifetime Achievement Award. 

Originally from the NoVa DC metro area, she’s a James Madison University alumni and member of Delta Sigma Pi.

Nicole is on a mission to build the innovation community and strengthen the economy in San Diego… creatively.