Nicole Townsend (she/her/hers), Consultant

Nicole Townsend is unapologetically Black and Queer. She is the proud granddaughter of Mississippi sharecroppers. Nicole spent the first half of her life in rural Southeast Missouri, and has called the mountains of Western North Carolina home for sixteen years.

She believes in a world where all people, regardless of their identity, are free. Nicole has been on the ground organizing for over twelve years around issues such as cash bail, municipal budget transparency, environmental justice, education equity, and food justice.

The many lessons of her grandmother Mattie taught her that movement not only needs people who are willing to throw down on the front line, but also those who are willing to stay behind and tend to the babies and put on a pot of beans.

Nicole has spent the last several years supporting non-profit organizations and academic institutions with equity training and strategic equity planning. She is a member and former staff member of Southerners On New Ground; a member of CoThinkk; a Senior Affiliate Trainer for Race Forward; and serves as the Finance & Operations Strategist for Blueprint NC.