Nicole Hurd is the 18th President of Lafayette College. Prior to her current position, she was the founder and CEO of College Advising Corps. A passionate advocate of post-secondary education, she has led College Advising Corps from a pilot project in Virginia to the largest college access program in the country, placing hundreds of advisers in high-need schools from coast-to-coast. Under her leadership, College Advising Corps received a $10 million investment at the White House College Opportunity Summit and the 2012 National Service Impact Award from the Corporation for National and Community Service for the “positive and lasting impact they are making through national service.”

Work Experience

Prior to launching College Advising Corps, she served as an Assistant Dean and Director of the Center for Undergraduate Excellence at the University of Virginia. While there, she founded the College Guide Program that was the precursor to College Advising Corps. The College Guide Program received a $10 million grant from the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation to expand into additional states.

Key Accomplishments / Boards

Ms. Hurd made the Chronicle of Higher Education’s 2014 Influence List and was named one of the 16 most innovative leaders in higher education in 2018 by Washington Monthly. She was also named by Time Magazine as one of the 31 People Changing the South in 2018 and received an honorary degree from Franklin and Marshall College.

Industries / Areas of Expertise

Higher Education Policy, Program Development, Grant Writing, Community Outreach, and Public Speaking.

Education

She holds a Ph.D. in Religious Studies from the University of Virginia, a master’s degree from Georgetown University, and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Notre Dame.

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