Nicole Cozier

Senior Vice President, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
Human Rights Campaign

Nicole has more than 20 years of non-profit experience in the direct service, advocacy and philanthropic sectors. Most of Nicole’s career has been focused on gender equity; however, in the words of Audre Lorde – “there is no such thing as a single-issue struggle, because we do not live single-issue lives,” so a lens of diversity, inclusion and cultural competency has always been a central component of her work.  Nicole describes her current position as leading Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at the Human Rights Campaign as “a perfect culmination of her experience and her passion for work with deep personal significance.”  In her role as Senior Vice President, for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (formerly, Director of Diversity & Inclusion), Nicole is responsible for designing and implementing strategy and initiatives that shape diversity, equity and inclusion philosophy and turns it into core organizational practice. She also manages the D&I team. Nicole is also a member of the Equity Advisory Board for Mission Partners – a woman-owned and led, mission-focused consultancy working to advance social justice and causes that result in an equitable future for all. 

Immediately prior to joining HRC, Nicole spent 8 years on the staff of Washington Area Women’s Foundation in various positions, the last of which was as Chief Operating Officer. Cultivating excellence among staff and maintaining an organizational environment where staff could thrive was a core priority in this role in addition to the development and cross-organizational implementation of the organization’s strategic goals.

Nicole holds an MBA and MS from Temple University, as well as an honors bachelor’s degree from the University of Toronto. A resident of the metro Washington area for more than 18 years, Nicole has also lived in Philadelphia, New Jersey, USVI, Canada and Barbados. Nicole currently lives in Northern Virginia with her wife and daughter.