Nicki Nabasny founded Beleza Advisors in 2021 and has spent more than 20 years advancing higher education institutions as a strategist and senior administrator. She has served as chief of staff, chief innovation and strategy officer, associate dean for development and executive director of communications in multiple institutions.

Prior to founding Beleza Advisors, Nicki managed strategic projects and innovation at Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. She partnered with the dean, faculty and other senior leaders to transform the staff organization and innovate the admissions function, resulting in significant budget savings and the most diverse MBA class in Kellogg’s history. Previously, Nicki spent eight years at the University of Chicago at the Harris School of Public Policy and the Office of the Provost. With the Provost she oversaw a large-scale effort to reimagine PhD education, managing the implementation and communications of the project. She also provided strategic and leadership capacity to The Pearson Institute for the Study and Resolution of Global Conflicts at the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy, including supporting the launch of the Institute and executing large-scale conferences in Belfast, Berlin and Chicago. Nicki managed Harris’s development operations during the two most successful fundraising years in the school’s history.

Before moving to Chicago, Nicki spent eight years at the University of San Francisco, where she worked in university advancement overseeing fundraising for the School of Management and School of Nursing, in addition to managing the University’s donor relations and prospect discovery teams.

Nicki holds a BA in Spanish and BS in political science from Santa Clara University. She earned a master’s of nonprofit administration (MNA) from University of San Francisco where she authored a thesis exploring the impact of online giving tools and engagement on annual funds. She also holds a doctor of education (EdD) from University of San Francisco, where her dissertation focused on higher education leadership.

Nicki founded Beleza Advisors because she believes deeply in the power of higher education and nonprofits to change people’s lives. A scholarship recipient at Santa Clara University, she experienced first-hand the transformative impact of getting an education that she could not have afforded without the generosity of others. She lives in Chicago with her husband and their three amazing, energetic kids. You can usually find her and her family on the sidelines of a kid’s sports game, cheering on the Chicago Cubs, or on a lake.