Nicole Heller

Director of Outcomes and Reporting

Nicole Heller, PhD, has spent over two decades working with and advocating for marginalized children and families as a research psychologist, professor, and policy analyst. A first-generation college graduate from a working-class family, Nicole started her professional career working with infants with prenatal opioid exposure while pursuing her PhD in Developmental Psychology at the University of Maine. She spent the next decade of her career in academia, serving as a professor of psychology at Colby-Sawyer College in New London, NH and Siena College in Albany, NY where she taught courses in developmental psychology and research methods. 

In 2023, Nicole joined the New Hampshire Fiscal Policy Institute as a senior policy analyst specializing in child and family policy. While at NHFPI, Nicole traveled across the state giving presentations about the economic impacts of a variety of policy topics, including early care and education, public K-12 education, and higher education, 

 Nicole currently serves as a Board Member for Reaching Higher New Hampshire, an external member of the Colby-Sawyer College Institutional Review Board, and a member of the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston's Community Development Research Advisory Council.

 Nicole is a proud Manchester resident where she lives with her two boys and husband. When she isn't working or volunteering, she can be found practicing yoga, playing in her garden, loving on her indoor plants, sampling the Granite State's best craft brews, and cheering for her kids as a soccer and band mom.