Governor’s Office of Minority Affairs

(334) 353-2113 | nichelle.nix@goma.alabama.gov

Nichelle Williams Nix was appointed by Governor Robert Bentley March 9, 2016, when the Governor’s Office of Minority Affairs was created by Executive Order No. 15. On May 24, 2016, Director Nix was sworn in as a member of the Governor’s cabinet when the Governor signed into law legislation establishing the Governor’s Office of Minority Affairs by statute and the position of Director as cabinet level. In this role, Director Nix is responsible for advising the Governor on issues affecting minorities, including women, focusing on the improvement of the overall quality of life of minorities, specifically in the areas of education, health, housing, employment, civil rights, criminal justice and empowerment.

Before joining the Governor’s administration, Director Nix was an attorney at Maynard, Cooper & Gale, P.C., in Birmingham, Alabama, where she was a member of the firm’s Governmental and Regulatory Affairs practice group. Prior to her arrival at Maynard Cooper, Director Nix served as Executive Director of the Sickle Cell Disease Association of America in Mobile, Alabama, where she oversaw the Association’s operations across nine counties of southwest Alabama. During her tenure, Director Nix worked to increase awareness of sickle cell disease and enhance the quality of life of those battling the disease.

Director Nix has also served as Legislative Counsel to U.S. Representative Artur Davis in Washington, D.C., and as a Healthcare Fellow at the Alabama Appleseed Center for Law & Justice in Montgomery, Alabama.

Director Nix is a graduate of Spelman College in Atlanta, Georgia, where she received a Bachelor of Art’s degree in Political Science. She earned her Master’s of Public Health degree from Emory University, and her Juris Doctorate from The University of Alabama School of Law.

Director Nix is an active member of the Junior League of Birmingham, the Rotary Club of Mobile, and the Birmingham Bar Association. Director Nix has a passion for education and helping those in need and serves as a member of the Board of Directors for The 7th Project and for Camp Smile-A-Mile. A native of Mobile, Alabama, Director Nix resides in Birmingham with her husband, Leroy Nix.