Nicole Lamb serves her community of Northern Colorado through various roles including educational leader, advocate, and life-long learner. In her role as an Instructional Coach with the Thompson School District, Nicole leads with elementary teachers to elevate instructional practices and guide student success. She provides coaching and professional development to educators and collaborates with district administration on policy implementation.
Her journey to working with children began at Loyola University Preschool in Chicago as a teaching assistant while studying for her undergraduate degree. From there, Nicole moved to Alaska for an adventurous life that centered around education. She spent most of her 18 years in Alaska teaching every age from pre-K to college, spent five years deeply engaged with individuals who have delays and disabilities, and eventually returning to early childhood with a public Montessori focus.
During those 18 years Nicole met her husband and together traveled the world to be immersed in diverse cultures from the Arctic to Antarctic and every continent in between. She spent time volunteering and living abroad including a year teaching English in South Korea. What sparked the most joy were the acts of service that paved the path to advocacy work.
Service through advocacy is a personal and professional passion that led Nicole to hold her current board position with the Colorado Association for the Education of Young Children, committee positions with Save the Children Action Network and the Women’s Foundation of Colorado. She continues to serve on the board for the Alaska Montessori Association and The Lemong’o Project, a non-profit collaboration with the Maasai people of rural Kenya to improve the nutrition, health, employment, and education of the local community.
Nicole holds a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre from Loyola University, Master’s in Education from Alaska Pacific University, Montessori 3-6 Certification from the North American Montessori Center, and is pursuing a Ph.D. in Education from Colorado State University with a focus on Early Childhood Policy. As a current Buell Fellow, Nicole bridges early childhood leadership theory and practices to research on policy development and implementation. Nicole is a passionate life-long learner with an endless pursuit of knowledge and opportunities to engage with others in transforming the early childhood landscape.
Her journey to working with children began at Loyola University Preschool in Chicago as a teaching assistant while studying for her undergraduate degree. From there, Nicole moved to Alaska for an adventurous life that centered around education. She spent most of her 18 years in Alaska teaching every age from pre-K to college, spent five years deeply engaged with individuals who have delays and disabilities, and eventually returning to early childhood with a public Montessori focus.
During those 18 years Nicole met her husband and together traveled the world to be immersed in diverse cultures from the Arctic to Antarctic and every continent in between. She spent time volunteering and living abroad including a year teaching English in South Korea. What sparked the most joy were the acts of service that paved the path to advocacy work.
Service through advocacy is a personal and professional passion that led Nicole to hold her current board position with the Colorado Association for the Education of Young Children, committee positions with Save the Children Action Network and the Women’s Foundation of Colorado. She continues to serve on the board for the Alaska Montessori Association and The Lemong’o Project, a non-profit collaboration with the Maasai people of rural Kenya to improve the nutrition, health, employment, and education of the local community.
Nicole holds a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre from Loyola University, Master’s in Education from Alaska Pacific University, Montessori 3-6 Certification from the North American Montessori Center, and is pursuing a Ph.D. in Education from Colorado State University with a focus on Early Childhood Policy. As a current Buell Fellow, Nicole bridges early childhood leadership theory and practices to research on policy development and implementation. Nicole is a passionate life-long learner with an endless pursuit of knowledge and opportunities to engage with others in transforming the early childhood landscape.