Nicole Witherbee
John T. Gorman Foundation
President & CEO
In 2022, Nicole became President & CEO of the John T. Gorman Foundation after serving for 10 years as Chief Program Officer, a role in which she directed its programs, research, and evaluation. She has a Ph.D. in Social Policy from the Heller School of Social Policy and Management at Brandeis University.
Before coming to the Foundation, Nicole held a range of positions dedicated to changing the landscape of policy and practice for people struggling to make ends meet, including the creation of a consulting firm that advised clients on policy matters, analyzing federal budget impacts for the Maine Center for Economic Policy, directing policy for the Massachusetts Coalition for the Homeless, and acting as the Interim Government Affairs Director for the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition. She spent her earlier years as a community organizer focused on affordable housing. Nicole also taught courses at the University of Southern Maine, Salem State University, and Bates College.
She currently sits on the steering committee of the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston’s Maine Working Communities Challenge, and the National Committee for the American Human and Public Services Association. In addition, she is a Corporator of Gorham Savings Bank and a trustee of the Edward H. Daveis Benevolent Fund.