Currently in her 25th year advising, Nichols advises Whitney High Student Media (Details yearbook, The Roar newsmagazine and Whitney Update news website) in California, where her students have earned top honors such as NSPA Pacemakers and CSPA Crown awards. Nichols just finished six years as president of the Journalism Education Association and also is past president of the Journalism Education Association of Northern California as well as a member of its board of directors. She is certified as a Master Journalism Educator and serves on JEA’s Scholastic Press Rights and Digital Media committees. Nichols was recognized in 2011 as the Cal-JEC High School Journalism Teacher of the Year for California. She was named the 2010 National Yearbook Adviser of the Year and received a Medal of Merit from JEA as well as the Pioneer Award from the National Scholastic Press Association and Gold Key from the Columbia Scholastic Press Association. Her published works include a yearbook adviser curriculum for Jostens Publishing and the NSPA Yearbook Guidebook. She also teaches Advising Yearbook, a graduate course for the Center for Scholastic Journalism’s online masters program at Kent State University.