Nicole Love Hendrickson facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Nicole Love Hendrickson
2021 State of the County Address
Chair of Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners
Incumbent
Assumed office January 1, 2021
Preceded by	Charlotte Nash
Personal details
Born	November 30, 1979 Providence, Rhode Island
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Keverne Hendrickson
Children	Kaden Hendrickson
Residences	Lilburn, Georgia
Education	University of Rhode Island (BA) University of Georgia (MSW)

Nicole Love Hendrickson is an important elected leader in Gwinnett County, Georgia. She serves as the Chair of the Board of Commissioners. This means she is the main leader for the county government. She is the first African-American person and the third woman to hold this important position in Gwinnett County.

Early Life and Education

Nicole Love Hendrickson was born and grew up in Providence, Rhode Island. She went to the University of Rhode Island and earned a degree in psychology. In the mid-2000s, she moved to Georgia to continue her studies. She received a Master's degree in Social Work from the University of Georgia in 2007. Her studies focused on how to plan for communities and non-profit groups.

Career Before Becoming Chair

Before leading Gwinnett County, Hendrickson worked for eight years at the Gwinnett Coalition for Health and Human Services. There, she helped start the Gwinnett Neighborhood Leadership Institute. This program trains people to become leaders in their communities. Hundreds of people have completed this program.

In 2015, the Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners chose Hendrickson for a new role. She became the county's first Community Outreach Program Director. In this job, she created many programs to help people get involved in their community. These included the Gwinnett 101 Citizens Academy and the Gwinnett Youth Commission.

Leading Gwinnett County

How She Was Elected

In January 2020, Nicole Love Hendrickson announced she wanted to be the Chair of the Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners. She said she had experience in local government. She also understood how to make tough choices to help the community and use tax money wisely.

Running as a Democrat, she competed against four other candidates. She won the first round of voting in June. Then, she won the final Democratic nomination in August with almost 80% of the votes. In the main election, she won against the Republican candidate with 58% of the votes. She was re-elected in 2024.

What She Has Done as Chair

Since becoming Chair in January 2021, Nicole Love Hendrickson has worked on many big projects. These projects focus on growing the economy, making housing more affordable, improving transportation, and making communities better places to live.

When she was sworn in, she promised to make Gwinnett County a place with many opportunities for everyone. She also wanted to make sure living there was affordable. She aimed for Gwinnett to be a leader in connecting with other areas.

When the COVID-19 pandemic was happening, Hendrickson helped turn a closed department store into the county's first large vaccination site. She said they saw a need and used their resources to help the community. In April 2021, she started Project RESET 2.0. This program used federal money to help renters pay for housing and utilities during the pandemic.

In 2021, Hendrickson helped create the Gwinnett Entrepreneur Center. This center helps local businesses and people who want to start new companies. She said that small businesses are very important for a strong economy.

Hendrickson also made it easier for people to apply for positions on county boards and committees. She worked to create the Police Citizens Advisory Board and the Sustainability Commission.

She also announced the Gwinnett Place Mall Redevelopment Equity Plan. This plan aims to make the mall area a lively community hub. She also started the county's first Equity Action Plan. This plan helps make sure fairness is part of how the local government works. She then appointed the county's first Chief Equity Officer. Hendrickson has also recognized important days like Juneteenth and LGBTQ+ Pride Month. She also formally acknowledged a historical injustice from 1911.

In 2023, her team launched Gwinnett County's largest Small Business Grant Program. This program gave $18 million to local business owners. Under her leadership, the county won many awards for its innovative services.

In 2024, the county created its first Affordable Housing Development Fund. This fund helps create more housing options for people with different incomes. Hendrickson also guided the county to adopt a $17 billion Transit Development Plan. This plan is the biggest in the county's history and will improve transportation for many years.

Personal Life

Nicole Love Hendrickson was born and grew up in Providence, Rhode Island, with her identical twin sister. She moved to Georgia in 2005 for her graduate studies. She met her husband, Keverne, in the early 2000s. They got married in Atlanta, Georgia, in 2010. Their son, Kaden, was born in 2013. Hendrickson and her family live in Lilburn, Georgia.

Awards and Groups She Belongs To

Since 2023, Hendrickson has been named one of Georgia Trend's 100 Most Influential Georgians. She has received the Public Service Award from the Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce. She also received the Trailblazer Award from the 100 Black Men of Metro Atlanta. Engineering Georgia named her one of their 100 Most Influential Women. She is also on Atlanta Business Chronicle's Power 100 list of Most Influential Atlantans.

Chairwoman Hendrickson is active in many groups at local, state, and national levels. These include the Atlanta Regional Commission and the Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce. She also helps lead committees for the National Association of Counties (NACo).

In 2025, Hendrickson joined the Delta Sigma Theta sorority. She is a member of the Gwinnett County Alumnae Chapter.