A. Nicole Campbell has over a decade of legal and operational experience in the social sector and has worked in private practice, private philanthropy, and the public sector. Nic is passionate about using her legal training, operations and strategy expertise, and knowledge of nonprofit law to think creatively to transform the way organizations work and learn from their work.
For over a decade, Nic has been trusted to lead brave infrastructure design for philanthropies with grant-making budgets in excess of $100 million.
I never knew where to begin when people would say, “Tell me about yourself.” I did not know what aspects of me they should know about or what I should focus on. And after all these years, I realize that, at the end of the day, at the core of everything I do, I create peace of mind. It is my north star. My goal is to help be a guide towards an outcome that can sustain a vision and create a legacy.
Musing
“My clients trust me because I have the years of experience to have seen the solutions to the problems they are facing.”
Private Philanthropy
Most recently, Nic was the Senior Director of Operations and Foundation Counsel for Dalio Philanthropies, the philanthropy of Ray Dalio, where she was responsible for the Philanthropies’ infrastructure build-out, management of the Philanthropies’ legal affairs, and programmatic leadership of the Philanthropies’ China portfolio of grants. In her inaugural roles, Nic designed creative protocols and processes to increase the efficiency and impact of the Philanthropies’ grant making and streamlined operations in order to help the Dalio family create a multi-generational, sustainable family philanthropy, which facilitates over $120 million in grants annually. She also created special diligence processes and legal frameworks for staff to effectively use different philanthropic vehicles both here in the United States and internationally, including fiscal intermediaries, and safely navigate complex regulatory requirements.
Each of these programs, projects, and initiatives get to step into the world, so to speak, with their refined vision, mission, and strategic goals. They are poised to put their mark on the world, and I help design and build out what they need in order to do it sustainably.
I love what I do.
I am a scientist by training, a lawyer by profession, and a problem solver by nature. I am of the margins, of the mainstream, an immigrant, a child of the South Bronx, a Barbadian, a mom, a lover of good music, good food, and good vibes, and the daughter of a teacher with dreams and a nurse who built through relationships. I have been told no when it mattered and yes when it counted. I know how it feels to be excluded, and I know how to be inclusive. I am, unapologetically, all of these things, which show up in everything I do.
These days, I think they call this unique combination, cultural competence. I simply call it competence. I could not imagine showing up any other way and I could not see how I could bring what I bring to problem solving in terms of creativity, possibility, and practicality without these attributes and experiences.
I have more than 20 years of experience and expertise, but it is about more than being technically sound. I use that technical expertise to become a partner, a champion for extraordinary vision, and a game changer for innovative work.
If you want to learn more about some of the places I have been, the people I have met, and the things I have seen, you can read more about them here.