Nicole Wilson has served as the Yunion’s Executive Director since its inception and has more than 20 years of management experience, including 17 years of programmatic experience working with at-risk youth and families. Her career trajectory began in the healthcare space, progressing from Health Coordinator to Nurse Manager for a number of health care and non-profit institutions including Head Start, Detroit Medical Center, and Southeastern Michigan American Red Cross, where she provided direct services, maintained regulatory compliance, ensured quality control, and led productivity and staff training initiatives. Now, she leads an organization that is transforming the lives of youth and families in Detroit.

In her role as the Executive Director of The Yunion, Inc., a Detroit-based non-profit organization, Nicole’s work is truly rewarding. The Yunion has served more than 16,000 youth and families under her leadership since 2003. She has helped in the acquisition and management of more $10 million in grants and contracts for the organization from major public and private sources including The Skillman Foundation, Kresge Foundation, Max & Marjorie Fisher Foundation, Ralph Wilson Foundation, State of Michigan, County of Wayne, City of Detroit and U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. Most importantly, she has been instrumental in building more than three dozen community collaboratives to help serve children and families in the metropolitan Detroit area with a “wraparound” service model that addresses their academic, economic, and health challenges, using creative expression as a programming base. She is “the mother” of the Yunion and considers the children The Yunion serves (and even many of the staff) as her “babies.” Most recently, under her leadership The Yunion has developed a number of multi-media projects, with dramatic films and ancillary training materials that address bullying, teen suicide and self-defeating behaviors that put youth at risk.

HIV prevention has also been a passion. One of The Yunion’s signature programs, Standing in the Gap, has provided more than 1,000 women within the most vulnerable populations with HIV prevention education, testing and counseling services.

Nicole is a Registered Nurse with a Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Michigan Ann Arbor and a Master’s of Business Administration in Health Care Management from the University of Phoenix.

Nicole considers one of her most important roles as the proud wife of Jason Wilson and blessed mother of Alexis and Jason II. They are her crown and glory.