PRESS RELEASES

Pearl Street Partners with UNC-Chapel Hill to Recruit Executive Director for Strategic Initiatives, Innovation

Nicholas Cole has joined the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill as Executive Director for Strategic Initiatives, Innovation. He will support the Vice Chancellor for Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Economic Development & Chief Innovation Officer as well as academic partners across Carolina to fundraise for signature initiatives that advance the institution’s innovation agenda, specifically within the sciences. Nick brings with him an extensive background in fundraising for higher education with a depth in engineering and STEM fields, and a skill set in identifying unaffiliated donors and pairing them with unique funding opportunities.

Prior to joining UNC-Chapel Hill, Nicholas was Director of Development for University of Florida’s Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering where he was responsible for two major cross-campus research initiatives within the Engineering School for Sustainable Infrastructure and Environment (ESSIE), and worked with faculty directors on strategy, solicitation, identification, funding methods, stewardship, and events.

Nick has also held senior frontline development roles with premier academic research institutions including Carnegie Mellon University, University of California Berkeley, Emory University, and Brown University. Nicholas earned a B.S. from Carnegie Mellon University where he majored in history, anthropology, and international relations.