Nicole Christian is the president & CEO of the Charleston Area Alliance in Charleston, West Virginia. Nicole is a Certified Chamber Executive (CCE), one of only about 450 in the country, and is a 28-year veteran of the chamber and economic development industry. She is also a graduate of the Institute for Organization Management (IOM).
Nicole has held senior level/CEO positions at four other chamber/economic development organizations and helped lead her Chamber of Commerce in Davenport, Iowa to the coveted designation of 2008 Chamber of the Year by the Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives.
Nicole recently relocated to Charleston from Deep Creek Lake, MD where she was the President & CEO of the Garrett County Chamber of Commerce, which also functioned as the convention & visitors bureau. She previously served as the VP of Business Development & International Trade for the Northern Kentucky Chamber, led the Chamber of Commerce for Davenport One in Iowa and led the Northern Palm Beach County Chamber & Visitors Center in Florida.
Over the past 26 years she has earned many awards and accolades for her work in the Chamber profession and for her community service. In 2017, Nicole was named the Maryland Chamber Executive of the Year by the Maryland Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives. In 2005, Nicole was designated as one of the Cincinnati Business Courier’s Forty Under 40, a recognition of the top young professionals under the age of 40 in the Greater Cincinnati area.
Nicole is an active member of many national organizations and has twice been invited to the white house for special meetings, once by President George W. Bush and once by President Obama. She has been appointed by Governors to serve on state committees and task forces and is often requested to speak on chamber, economic development, tourism and leadership topics. She is frequently asked to facilitate strategic planning sessions.
Nicole has a BA from the University of Kentucky where she studied Political Science and Advertising. She is a native of Ft. Thomas, Kentucky and an avid Kentucky Wildcats basketball fan. She enjoys watching all sports but loves to play golf. Although, her house is currently devoid of pets, she is a true lover of animals.