Nicole Wilkins-Zott is a collaborative leader and strategic project manager with deep expertise in community engagement, communications, and out-of-school time systems. She brings more than a decade of experience guiding complex, multi-year initiatives that elevate youth development, afterschool, summer learning, and STEM priorities.

Nicole helps school districts, nonprofits, networks, and foundations design and implement strategies that foster inclusive engagement and strengthen connections with the communities they serve. Her approach is partnership-forward; she centers trust and shared learning throughout each project, helping clients surface insights, navigate challenges, and amplify community voices to shape meaningful change.

Before joining Collaborative, Nicole led statewide policy and advocacy efforts at the Massachusetts Afterschool Partnership and served as a White-Riley-Peterson Fellow, where she worked to align afterschool and early learning systems. She holds a Master’s degree in political communication from American University and a Bachelor’s degree in political science, with concentrations in public policy and administration, from Northeastern University.