Nicole Battle

Neighbourhood Houses Victoria

Nicole holds a Bachelor of Social Work from Victoria University, as well as a Master of Public Policy and Management from the University of Melbourne.

She has over ten years experience working in local government, holding senior roles within Community Development, Youth Services, Emergency Management and Governance. She has also held a number of positions within the not-for-profit sector, as well as teaching politics and gender studies at Melbourne University.

Nicole became Chief Executive Officer of Neighbourhood Houses Victoria in May 2018. She is responsible for overseeing the overall strategic operations of Neighbourhood Houses Victoria and providing effective leadership for the sector. This includes ensuring a strong culture of governance and accountability, and advocating to government and other external stakeholders to ensure the sustainability of the neighbourhood house sector now and into the future.

Nicole is passionate about social justice and is particularly interested in gender equality and Indigenous rights. She regularly attends classes at her local community centre, and has been a longtime supporter of neighbourhood houses and the important role that they play within local communities. As of 2019 she is the current President of the federal peak body, the Australian Neighbourhood House and Centres Association (ANHCA).