Nicole Markle is a grant professional and project facilitator with deep experience in strategic planning, stakeholder engagement, and program development across nonprofit, education, and cultural sectors.

Currently serving as Facilitation Administrator at Eastern Kentucky University, she supports organizations in navigating complex decisions through guided processes, collaborative planning, and needs-driven research. Her facilitative approach helps clients transform ideas into structured, actionable plans, a skill she brings to her grant writing.

Previously, as Community Schools Initiative Program Manager for Fayette County Public Schools and Youth Service Center Director, Nicole secured and managed grants to expand educational access, mental-health supports, and community enrichment programming. She has led the development of multi-stakeholder proposals and orchestrated community-school partnerships to ground philanthropic asks in real community needs and measurable outcomes.

Nicole’s background also includes work with museums, historic sites, and cultural institutions, blending her training from a Master of Arts in Museum Studies and a Project Management Certificate with hands-on experience in public engagement and program administration.

As part of A|R’s grants team, Nicole brings a unique mix of facilitation, research, and narrative skills, helping nonprofits not only win funding but build internal capacity and long-term sustainability through grant-ready structures.