Bio

Holley Nichols, Ph.D., a native of eastern North Carolina, brings both personal and professional commitment to advancing educational and economic opportunities for learners across the state. She leads multi-year, grant-funded research and evaluation projects on rural-serving colleges and transfer student success, with expertise in both quantitative and qualitative methodologies.

At the Belk Center, she serves as liaison to the statewide Transfer Advisory Committee, a legislatively established body that shapes transfer policy across North Carolina’s community colleges and universities. She has authored numerous policy and research briefs and presented findings to state system leaders, college presidents, and at national academic conferences.

Before joining the Belk Center, Holley spent more than a decade in university enrollment management, financial aid, and admissions.