Nicole Howell, BA

Nicole Howell is Director of Direct Care Workforce Development at the National Council on Aging. Previously, Nicole served as Director of Workforce Policy at at LeadingAge, where she worked with partners on and off Capitol Hill to develop innovative policy solutions to strengthen the direct care workforce.

Prior to her role with LeadingAge, Nicole was Health Policy Advisor for the Office of U.S. Congressman Bill Pascrell (D-NJ). Prior to that, Nicole served as Executive Director of Empowered Aging, an innovative nonprofit serving the San Francisco Bay Area, where she led a dedicated team of people across three of California’s most populous counties committed to advocating for older adults, adults with disabilities, and their families. Together, Nicole and her team educated, defended, supported, and strived for change through programs like Long-Term Care Ombudsman, Friendly Visiting/Telephone Reassurance, elder abuse prevention and the Healthcare Career Pathway.

Nicole has worked in the field of aging for more than a decade fighting for the rights and dignity of seniors, with a special emphasis on those in long-term care. She is driven by a passion for person-centered models of care and pathway and career development for the caregiving workforce.

A resident of California for nearly fifteen years Nicole is a proud alumnus of University of Nevada, Reno and holds a Bachelor of Arts in political science.