Nicole Yohalem is a Program Director at the Forum for Youth Investment where she oversees work related to out-of-school time, youth action and bridging research, policy and practice.

Nicole joined the Forum in 2000. Nicole has authored a range of Forum reports and commentaries and provided leadership on two regular publications – the Out-of-School Time Policy Commentary Series and Forum Focus. She represents the Forum as a spokesperson at national conferences and events and serves as an advisor to several foundations, organizations and initiatives. Nicole is currently playing a lead role in the development of the Next Generation Youth Work Coalition – a national initiative dedicated to advancing the youth work profession.

Prior to her work at the Forum, Nicole served as a youth development specialist at Michigan State University where she developed, implemented and evaluated community-based youth programs and provided training and technical assistance to programs statewide within the Cooperative Extension Service. She also served as Extension Educator with Michigan State University, developing 4-H Youth Programs serving urban youth. From 1990 to 1995, Nicole worked in the adolescent division of the High/Scope Educational Research Foundation where she staffed and later directed the Foundation’s residential programs for teens while developing curricular and training materials for use in a wide range of youth programs.

In addition to her work with the Forum, Nicole also serves as a consultant to the World Bank on education reform in the Latin American and Caribbean region.

Nicole earned a Master of Education degree in the multidisciplinary Risk and Prevention program at the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

Committed to increasing the quality and quantity of youth investment and youth involvement in the United States, the Forum supports organizations and communities that invest in young people by promoting a “big picture” approach to planning, research, advocacy and policy development among the broad range of national organizations that help communities invest in children, youth and families. The Forum for Youth Investment is the core operating division of Impact Strategies, Inc. ISI is the legal entity created to house the Forum for Youth Investment, the Cady-Lee Meeting Center and future related endeavors.