Nicole Upton (she/her)

Nicole Upton is a visionary leader and fierce advocate for arts education, dedicated to ensuring every Chicago Public Schools (CPS) student has access to the arts. As Ingenuity’s first female Executive Director, she has driven transformative change, expanding access, securing sustainable funding, and influencing policy to embed arts education into the fabric of public schooling. Since joining Ingenuity in 2015, Nicole has played a pivotal role in shaping its strategy and impact. Before stepping into her current role in 2022, she led partnerships, professional learning, and organizational growth, bridging the gap between arts and education. Her leadership ensures that data-driven decision-making guides the future of arts learning in CPS.

Nicole’s career spans both policy and practice. At CPS, she was instrumental in developing the first 2012 CPS Arts Education Plan, aligning arts programming with district-wide priorities and laying the foundation for sustained investment in arts learning. Previously, as Senior Director of Education at the Auditorium Theatre, she created ArtsXChange, a professional development program for educators, and led Hands Together, Heart to Art, a camp for children who had lost a parent—reinforcing her belief in the arts as a tool for healing and empowerment.

A respected force in arts education, Nicole continues to shape policy and strengthen partnerships at the city and state levels, ensuring the arts remain essential to every child’s education. She holds a BA in Comprehensive Theatre Studies from Northern Illinois University and an MA in Educational Theatre from New York University.

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