Nicole Woods is the managing director of the Karsh Institute of Democracy and previously served as chief of staff for the dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Virginia. Prior to coming to UVA, Woods served as a director at the American Council of Education (ACE), a higher education membership organization representing the nation’s U.S. accredited, degree-granting institutions. At ACE, she led strategic operations for the learning and engagement division focused on programs, services, and research. Prior to joining ACE, Woods served in higher education, nonprofit, and corporate organizations, including the University of Chicago, Mattersight Corporation, YMCA of the USA, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, PricewaterhouseCoopers Consulting, and Bard College. She has specialized in diversity and inclusion, strategic planning, training and adoption, change management, and data analytics. Woods holds a doctorate of education in adult learning and leadership from Teachers College, Columbia University, a master of education in counseling psychology from James Madison University, and a bachelor's degree in business administration from the College of William and Mary.