Currently in her 20th 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 serves as president of the Journalism Education Association and 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 Commission and Digital Media Committee. 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 in 2008 from the National Scholastic Press Association. Her published works include a yearbook adviser curriculum for Jostens Publishing and the current edition of 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.