About Nicolle

I am a hospice chaplain and State Representative for the 53rd District, and public service has been the center of everything I do. Whether sitting with a family in their hardest hours, serving as an Arlington Heights Village Trustee, or working on the floor of the General Assembly, my purpose has been the same: show up, listen, and help make things better for the people we serve together.

I grew up in Rhinelander, Wisconsin, the oldest of four kids raised by small business owners, with grandparents who were union workers, entrepreneurs, and community volunteers. The Northwoods shaped me. In a place where neighbors looked out for one another, I learned early that community isn’t just where you live. It’s what we build together.

Even as a child, I understood that not everyone started from the same place. In grade school, I watched classmates face poverty, violence, and prejudice simply because of who they were. Those moments didn’t leave me. They became the foundation of my sense of fairness, and they still drive the work I do today. What affects one of us affects all of us — and I have never stopped believing that.

For more than 34 years, I’ve served as an ordained minister and hospice chaplain, walking alongside people from every background through life’s most difficult passages. I began this work during the AIDS crisis and was a frontline health care worker during the COVID-19 pandemic. What I’ve witnessed in those rooms is not abstract to me. When I fight for affordable, accessible healthcare, it is because I have journeyed alongside people who didn’t have it. This isn’t just policy. It’s deeply personal.

I’ve lived in the Northwest suburbs for 36 years, in and across many communities throughout the 53rd District. My husband, Michael, spent his career teaching math and physics in High School District 214 and remains a strong advocate for public education. Our daughter, Claire, attended Arlington Heights public schools, graduated from Rolling Meadows High School, and is now pursuing her dream of becoming a public grade school teacher here in Illinois.

This district is home, not a stop along the way. In every role I’ve held, my approach has been the same: listen, find common ground, and work together for practical results. We can be fiscally responsible and still make sure families can afford healthcare, keep up with their utility bills, put food on the table, and find stable housing and good jobs. These are not competing values. They are the basics every person needs to live with dignity.

The 53rd District is beautifully diverse, with many voices, many stories, many perspectives. That diversity is our greatest strength. My role is to make sure every voice is heard and that the policies we pass reflect the real lives of the people who live here. Because when one of us is left behind, we all bear that cost.

It is an honor to serve this district, and I am grateful for the trust you have placed in me. I am seeking a third term as your State Representative to keep lowering costs, expanding access to healthcare, and building a future where everyone has a fair shot to thrive and live fully — together.