Elle Nichols
Senior Consultant
Elle grew up in Minnesota, has deep family roots in New Orleans, and now lives in both New York City and upstate – a unique blend that has greatly shaped her sense of purpose and outlook. These experiences foster a love for the outdoors, a strong commitment to community, and an appreciation for diverse cultures; principles that have become the cornerstones of her personal and professional journey.
Elle is an award-winning leader in the social impact sector, dedicated to harnessing the power of business and collaborative partnerships to create meaningful change for underserved communities and the planet. Known for her positivity and drive, she has a genuine passion for working with people and loves to collaborate with diverse teams to tackle big challenges and turn innovative solutions into reality.
A business veteran with over 15 years of experience in brand management and communications, Elle brings expertise in designing signature programs that impact lives, elevate brands, and advance organizational priorities. During her tenure on the Dove team at Unilever, Elle led the development and launch of The Crown Act, successfully passing legislation protecting against race-based hair discrimination in California. She played a key role in forming The Crown Coalition, which has now passed The Crown Act in 27 states and counting. Elle then directed the global sustainability program for Dove Bar, where she led cross-functional teams to achieve a 25% reduction in plastic packaging globally. Additionally, she has held P&L responsibility for the $250M Dove Hair business, managed national retail partnership strategies, and created award-winning brand campaigns recognized by WWD, L2, AdAge, and Forbes.
Before joining Unilever, Elle was the Director of Marketing and Community Engagement at West Point for athletics where she focused on creating youth leadership opportunities and community connection through sport. She developed new programs in collaboration with nonprofit partners including Make-A-Wish and the Boy Scouts of America. Her signature “Army Gameday Experience” program has connected over 10,000 young athletes with unique leadership development opportunities at West Point. Elle earned her undergraduate degree from Cornell University and completed her MBA at Duke University, where she served as a fellow at the Coach K Center on Leadership and Ethics.
Outside of the office, Elle is often chasing down new adventures and experiences. She is an avid runner, an ASA certified sailor, and a novice yogi in training. Her community passions include volunteering with Make-A-Wish, NY Road Runners, and animal rescue organizations. Elle also shares in the Cause team’s passion for sports (Go Army) and is a dedicated Cameron Crazie during college basketball season.