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Marissa Nichols

Associate Athletics Director

About

Dr. Marissa Nichols is the senior associate athletics director for student-athlete development and director of the Cameron Institute at the University of California, Berkeley. With more than 13 years of visionary and strategic leadership in higher education and intercollegiate athletics, she is a nationally recognized expert in student-athlete development, program evaluation, and data-driven innovation.

As the founding director of the Cameron Institute—a $19 million endowed initiative—Dr. Nichols and her team have built a nationally acclaimed model for holistic student-athlete development, delivering tailored interventions and fostering leadership excellence. She also serves as the sport supervisor for Cal men’s and women’s track and field and cross-country programs.

A Division I First-Team All-American and NCAA Woman of the Year finalist, Dr. Nichols earned her PhD in higher education leadership and MEd in guidance counseling from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. As a practitioner-scholar, she has published research on student-athlete performance and delivered more than 40 presentations at national conferences. Dr. Nichols holds several certifications, including a Wiley DiSC facilitator and Certified ROI Professional, and is actively pursuing the Certified Professional in Talent Development (CPTD®).

Dr. Nichols has held four inaugural roles across three institutions (UNLV, Boston University, and Cal), advancing professional standards through her work with the N4A and as a Steve McDonnell Professional Development Institute faculty member. In her consulting role, partnered with the ROI Institute, she enables organizations to achieve measurable success. Guided by values of meaningful contributions, clarity, courage, growth, and excellence—with love at the center—Dr. Nichols enjoys meditation, tennis, piano, and adventures near and far with her partner.

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