MEET NICOLE ARMSTRONG

Gender & Racial Equity Strategist & Facilitator

Nicole Armstrong is an award-winning social entrepreneur and gender equity advocate. As a 2018 People’s Liberty Haile Fellow, she founded Queen City Certified, the nation’s first data-informed employer certification and cohort-based leadership program for gender equity in the US workplace. The 14-week program includes engaging learning experiences and networking opportunities for visionary leaders, a rigorous equity-centered policy assessment, and comprehensive survey methodology.

Nicole works with and recognizes employers that aren’t just talking about equity but implementing evidence-based strategies to ensure people of all genders can thrive, regardless of race, sexual orientation, income, or family status. With hands-on coaching and mentoring, she gives visionary leaders the tools to redesign organizational systems, disrupt biases, and improve company culture so that they can attract and retain best-in-class talent. Queen City Certified received a 2019 CLIMB Award for Advancing Gender Equity from the Cincinnati Business Courier and the Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber.

Nicole holds a Bachelor of Science in Graphic Design from the University of Cincinnati and a Master of Arts from Suffolk University. For over a decade she developed and implemented design and brand strategy for mission-driven organizations around the globe. Prior to founding Queen City Certified, she co-created innovative approaches to social challenges alongside marginalized communities as a Social Innovation Specialist in her hometown of Cincinnati, Ohio.

Nicole's work has been featured in WCPO, The Cincinnati Experience, Cincinnati Business Courier, WVXU, Northern Kentucky Tribune, The River City News, and Cincy Chic. She is a member of the Cincinnati Business Courier's Forty Under 40 Class of 2020. 

We are honored to have Nicole as a key team member at the Talent Magnet Institute.