Welcoming Our New Executive Director, Nicole G. Epps!
Meet Nicole!
We are thrilled to announce the appointment of Nicole G. Epps, MBA, MSW, as our Executive Director at Grandmother Collective.
Joining us on October 5th, 2026, she brings more than a decade of executive leadership in the nonprofit sector with expertise in program and partnership development, global strategy, finance, organizational operations and management. The proud granddaughter of Grace Beckles and Alma Robinson, Nicole has built her career around expanding opportunity, strengthening communities, and ensuring that people most impacted by systems and policies have a meaningful role in shaping the decisions that affect their lives.
Most recently, Nicole served as Chief Operating & Financial Officer and Head of Donor Services at Brooklyn Org (formerly Brooklyn Community Foundation), a community foundation redefining philanthropy by mobilizing people, capital, and expertise toward a fair and just Brooklyn for all. In this role, she led finance, operations, investments, organizational infrastructure, and the foundation’s donor advised fund program, helping strengthen the systems and strategies that supported organizational growth, donor engagement, and community impact.
Previously, Nicole served as Chief of Staff at the Osborne Association, where she advanced organizational strategy and advocacy supporting people and families impacted by the criminal legal system. Earlier, as Managing Director and Executive Director of World Childhood Foundation USA, she led work addressing child sexual abuse, trafficking, exploitation, and violence and helped develop the Economist Intelligence Unit’s Out of the Shadows Index, a global benchmarking tool assessing how countries respond to child sexual abuse and exploitation.
Nicole also translated global strategy into community-level action. She founded the Bedford-Stuyvesant Whole Community Child Protection Project, bringing together residents and community institutions around a shared responsibility to protect children from abuse and exploitation; launched the national Care Coin youth-protection initiative; and established World Childhood Foundation USA’s inaugural Youth Advisory Council, creating a formal role for young people in shaping philanthropic priorities and participating in grantmaking decisions.
Beyond her executive leadership, Nicole is deeply engaged in nonprofit and civic governance. She serves as Board Chair of UNITAS North America, an anti-human-trafficking organization; Board Secretary of Kent Place School; and an Executive Board Trustee of Miriam’s Heart, a New Jersey nonprofit supporting children and families impacted by adoption and foster care. She is also a member of the New Jersey Office of Family Voice Parent Council, a statewide body that brings resource parents (foster parents) with firsthand experience navigating the child welfare system together with the New Jersey Department of Children and Families to strengthen policies, practices, and services for children and families involved in foster care.
Guiding Our Vision & Mission
Nicole combines strategic rigor with a deep commitment to social change, making her well-positioned and exceptionally qualified and prepared to lead Grandmother Collective into its next phase, and support its mission to build and connect a global community that elevates, supports, and activates elder women as a powerful positive force. Under her leadership, we will continue working toward a world where the power of elder women is visible, valued, and activated to drive positive impact.
Looking Forward
Please join us in giving Nicole a warm welcome to Grandmother Collective! We also invite you to explore our updated website to learn more about opportunities for engagement as we continue championing elder women around the globe.
