Psychology was Nicole’s major when she entered college, but at the recommendation of her guidance counselor she took a test to help her determine career paths that were a good fit for her skills and interests. The test results revealed HR Manager as one of the top recommendations, so she decided to pursue a career in HR and earned her Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration with a concentration in HR Management. She then earned her SHRM certification, and eventually obtained her Masters degree in HR. That test was clearly spot on regarding Nicole’s career in HR, because she now serves as the Director of HR Services at Xenium.
Throughout her HR career, she has been able to try out a variety of roles and industries, including local government, non-profit, telecommunications and healthcare. This gave Nicole exposure to many areas of HR, including training & development, workers’ compensation, benefits, employee & labor relations, to mention a few. Nicole has also earned her Compensation Analyst Credential (CAC), further strengthening her expertise in compensation strategy and analysis.
Nicole heard about Xenium all the way from Florida – as an avid listener and fan of Xenium’s Transform Your Workplace podcast! Her impression from listening to host Brandon Laws interview various Xenium employees as well as HR industry thought leaders was that Xenium sounded like a great company with HR professionals who are passionate about helping their clients. It was a hope of hers to work for a company like Xenium someday so she took the plunge and applied for a position as an HRBP in 2019, convinced her husband to move to Oregon, and the rest is history!
Nicole was born and raised in Monroe, NY, but lived in Florida since the age of 13. She craved the cooler weather and beautiful seasons she experienced while growing up in NY and has enjoyed getting to experience the seasons in the Pacific NW! In her spare time, Nicole likes reading a good book, writing articles and short stories, or spending time with her husband and son. She enjoys volunteering at local animal shelters, trying out Mexican restaurants, and she is a self-proclaimed Harry Potter nerd!