Nikki is a graduate of USC’s Master of Public Diplomacy program (2020) and a former CPD Student Fellow (2018—2020).

Although she is a Midwesterner at heart, Nikki came to Los Angeles by way of a Washington, D.C.-based strategic communications firm. At the firm, she helped provide communications counsel to clients facing legal, regulatory and reputational risks.

In 2014, Nikki graduated from American University with a B.A. in international studies and a minor in anthropology. As an undergraduate she gained media relations experience by working with the communications team at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars and spent a semester interning at the U.S. Department of State in the Office of the Special Representative for Global Intergovernmental Affairs (S/SRGIA). At the Department of State, she supported the office’s subnational cooperation and engagement initiatives. Nikki also spent a semester studying in Istanbul, Turkey.

These experiences shaped Nikki’s interest in public diplomacy and ultimately led her to pursue her degree at USC.