We are thrilled to announce that longtime faculty mentor and acclaimed author Nicole Valentine has joined the Boyds Mills, Inc. Board of Trustees.
Nicole joins a talented group of trustees who are dedicated to the mission to positively impact children by amplifying the voices of storytellers who inform, educate, and inspire children to become their best selves. The board provides important strategic, financial, and governance oversight for the organization.
For more than a decade, Nicole has been a vital part of our teaching community, helping writers hone their craft and find their voices. Now, she brings her unique blend of creative insight and technical expertise to our governance team at a pivotal moment in our organization’s history.
“In the past 12 years, I’ve seen the organization never waver from their stated mission—always choosing what is best for the child,” Nicole shared when asked about her decision to deepen her commitment to Boyds Mills. “It’s a transitive property for us: we teach and feed the creative minds who care enough to share their stories with children. Our books help shape the future.”
Cultivating a Creative Home for Creators, Championing Storytellers’ Voices
Nicole joins the board with a clear objective: to nurture and grow the unique creative hub that is Boyds Mills. She envisions the campus, much as we do, as a creative home for people who create stories for kids. She shares our collective focus to grow the organization—both online and in-person—into an even more robust space for collaboration and creativity.
“The children’s book community needs a collective home to return to, a place to work, learn and collaborate. The campus has been that hub, and I want to see it continue to grow.”
As a Trustee, Nicole is eager to expand the “mechanism” that brings writers and illustrators to our campus, ensuring storytellers’ voices continue to be heard.
“I’ve been helping writers hone their pages so their manuscripts land on shelves, and I want to continue doing that, but also be part of the mechanism that welcomes and brings all voices to campus,” she said.
Her commitment to amplifying these voices is also fueled by a sense of urgency regarding the current cultural landscape. Nicole recognizes that providing a sanctuary for creators is more than just a professional goal; it is a necessary response to a shifting world. As she puts it:
“It’s impossible to ignore that we are at a unique time in our collective history. Priorities are shifting, centuries old institutions are reprioritizing; some are falling away entirely,” she said. “Libraries are under attack, books are being banned, diverse voices are being silenced. It’s my fervent hope that I can help Boyds Mills not only weather whatever storms are ahead, but flourish during them. I watched Boyds Mills do exactly that during the pandemic and admired the entire team for their forethought and agility.”
In this role, her goals include:
- Expanding Scholarship Programs: Ensuring financial barriers don’t stand in the way of talented creators.
- Funding New Initiatives: Leveraging her background as a technologist and fundraiser to help the organization continue to deliver excellent experiences for storytellers.
- Supporting the Campus Team: Providing the staff with the resources they need to maintain the “magical experience” that makes Boyds Mills a home away from home for so many.
“We’re so excited to have Nicole join our board,” said George Brown, Executive Director at Boyds Mills. “She knows this organization inside and out, and she is truly dedicated to its growth.
“Nicole has been a vital part of our community, as faculty, a donor, a writer, and a mentor, and that connection, along with her background in children’s literature and technology, will be invaluable to our Board of Trustees.”
About Nicole Valentine
Nicole is the author of the middle-grade novel A Time Traveler’s Theory of Relativity. Beyond her work in children’s literature, she is a technology entrepreneur, bringing a data-informed and agile perspective to our board.
Please join us in giving Nicole a warm welcome! We look forward to the energy, wisdom, and passion she will bring to our future meetings and the continued growth of the Boyds Mills community.
See more of Nicole’s Work at Boyds Mills
For more than a decade, Nicole has served as a faculty reader and mentor in our Whole Novel Workshops. And she’s written extensively about that work on our blog. You can see some of her previous Whole Novel stuff here:
