Kelley Nicholson

Kelley Nicholson is the Director of Operations at JMReid Group, a leading performance improvement and development organization. She organizes and oversees the day-to-day operations of JMReid Group, ensuring operational efficiency, productivity and performance.

With over 14 years in the learning and development and professional services industries, Kelley brings expertise and a multitude of skills to JMReid Group. In addition to leading the inner workings of the company, she is a seasoned project manager with extensive experience leading and managing large-scale conferences and other training-related initiatives. Her approach to training, development and project management focuses on effective leadership, motivation, engagement and collaboration.

In her five years with JMReid Group, Kelley has accelerated the growth and development of the organization through planning, monitoring and optimizing the running of the day-to-day business. She also manages projects from inception to completion, performing varied roles and ensuring stakeholder satisfaction. Kelley specializes in complex projects with multiple stakeholders, deadlines and key milestones, leading multidisciplinary teams to success. Her experience within the industry includes:

• Partnering with company leadership to make decisions for operational activities and to set strategic goals
• Planning, monitoring and optimizing the day-to-day running of the business to ensure growth and proficiency
• Managing and overseeing of employees, including mentorship and career development
• Evaluating processes and procedures, making necessary adjustments to ensure company heath and efficiency
• Managing contracting and procurement processes
• Coordinating resource allocation, preparation and communication
• Overseeing client support processes, providing direction to enhancing client satisfaction
• Reviewing and tracking financial information to promote profitability
• Managing relationships with external partners and vendors
• Project scoping, including requirements gathering, concepting, project plan creation, staffing and budgeting
• Project managing, including stakeholder management, facilitator preparation, vendor management, execution and course assessment
• Owning project management best practices and standards
• Meeting and event planning, including event goals and themes, production elements, food and beverage selection, vendor management and transportation details

Kelley was previously a Manager in the Advisory Project Management and Implementation group at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) in the Learning and Development department, where she focused on onboarding, milestone and leadership conferences of 300 to 2,000+ participants. Kelley holds a Bachelor of Science in Leisure Studies from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a Masters in Counseling from DePaul University.