Nicole Combs

Nicole has spent her career helping organizations make better decisions through data. With over 13 years of experience in higher education advancement, she now serves as Senior Director of Data Insights at the University of Colorado Boulder, where she leads a team focused on efforts to turn complex fundraising and engagement data into clear, actionable strategy. She works closely with leadership to improve how teams think about portfolio management, campaign performance, and long-term planning, while also building the data infrastructure and reporting tools needed to support those decisions. Known for her ability to connect technical work to real world impact, Nicole focuses on making data both accessible and useful for the people who rely on it most. She champions a culture fueled by data-driven insights and innovation.

Nicole has had a longstanding history with CU, starting out her career on the Law Development team at Boulder for 5 years and then spending 8 years at CU System, leading analytics teams, supporting major campaign strategy and data needs, overhauling portfolio management, and helping implement new CRM and reporting capabilities. She also held valuable advancement technology roles, serving as a Director of Business Intelligence for the non-profit consultancy firm BWF and as an Insights Analyst for Cornell University’s Alumni Affairs & Development team.

She is a CU Buff alum and in her free time enjoys riding her Peloton to 90’s and 2000’s music, playing with her 2 energetic kiddos, camping, cheering on the Colorado Avalanche and Denver Broncos, and binge watching the occasional reality tv show.