Nicholson is a member of the National Association of Academic Advisors for Athletics (N4A), currently serving as President for the 2022-23 academic year, and is an advisory board member for the National Academic Advising Association (NACADA). She is also a member of Women Leaders in College Sports as well as the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA). Nicholson is a member of Women Leaders in College Sports as well as the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA). She recently finished a three-year turn as a member of the NCAA Division II Indoor and Outdoor Track & Field national committee as well as two years in the NCAA Division II Athletic Directors Association mentoring program. Nicholson will also serve as chair of the Liberty League Athletic Directors Council in 2022-23. 

Prior to taking the reins at RIT, Nicholson spent the previous four years as Associate Athletics Director for Academics, Compliance and Student-Athlete Development at Albany State, including a six-month stint as interim Director of Athletics in 2019 with the NCAA Division II Golden Rams. Also serving as the department's Senior Women's Administrator, her primary responsibilities included coordination of academic advisement, compliance and student-athlete support services, while providing day-to-day oversight and strategic leadership for the department's 13 teams.
 
Nicholson has a strong background in student-athlete welfare and support services, including retention, gender equity and Title IX matters. She was responsible for implementing comprehensive department academic standards which yielded an overall GPA increase for three-straight years, and also coordinated NCAA compliance monitoring, founding a compliance committee comprised of multiple constituents across campus. Nicholson also implemented annual community service initiatives which led to a 75-percent increase in student-athlete engagement in its first year alone.
 
Prior to her time at Albany State, Nicholson spent a year and a half as Assistant Athletics Director for Academics at the University of Texas-San Antonio, providing oversight of the academic support services for the 17-team NCAA Division I department, while serving as academic advisor for the men's basketball and track & field programs. She spent the previous seven years at Norfolk State (Va.), including five as Assistant Athletic Director for Student-Athlete Academic Services, coordinating the Student-Athlete Academic Support Office, managing three full-time academic coordinators, two interns and a graduate assistant in the NCAA Division I department.
 
Born in Lubbock, Texas, Nicholson grew up in Clayton, N.J. where she was a high school state champion hurdler in track & field and also played field hockey. She went on to a standout running career at Virginia Tech, graduating in 2005 with a degree in human development before adding a Master of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies in 2007. Nicholson began her professional career as an Academic Coordinator at her alma mater for two years.

Nicholson resides in Rochester with her daughter, Kylie.