Nicole Sebastian is the Deputy Executive Director of VCG Governance Matters, a nonprofit organization whose mission focuses on strengthening nonprofit organizations by improving the governing and management ability of their boards of directors.
Nicole has over 15 years of professional experience in the nonprofit and corporate sectors. Prior to joining VCG, she was a Senior Associate with the CEO and Board Practice at Heidrick & Struggles, a leading global executive search firm. In this capacity, she primarily worked to build the boards of Fortune 500 companies, and also worked on several marquis CEO and CFO searches.
She was previously the Manager of Governance at the Robin Hood Foundation, where she was responsible for the board development, recruitment and governance education needs of Robin Hood’s grant recipients. Prior she was a Program Director at the French-American Chamber of Commerce. She has also worked as a freelance consultant, helping several nonprofit organizations and foundations in New York with their strategic and operating plans. In addition, she has conducted policy research for UNICEF on the prevention of trafficking, served a tour with the UNDP in Costa Rica, and worked for Saint-Gobain Desjonquères, a French glass manufacturer.
Nicole holds a Master’s degree in Public Administration from Columbia University with a concentration in nonprofit management and a BA in English and French literature from SUNY Geneseo. She is fluent in English, Spanish and French.
She is a founding member of the Young Professionals Committee of Susan G. Komen for the Cure, a Board member of the Women’s Executive Circle of New York (WECNY), and a long-time member of the Grantmakers Committee of VCG Governance Matters. She has also served an Adjunct Professor at Columbia University, teaching a graduate-level Strategic Management course.