In October, Dene Nichols celebrates 13 yearswith AYS. Dene has impacted AYS in a variety of roles, from being a boots-on-the-groundYouth Development Assistant working directly with kids to her current role as Directorof Development, overseeing her own department.
Dene’s career working with kids doesn’t startor end with AYS; she was a stay-at-home mom to her own kids for 15 years.During that time, Dene developed a passion for youth development and knew shewanted to provide the children in her community with a safe, nurturing adultpresence.
When she was ready to head back into theworkforce, she started working as an Instructional Assistant for children withspecial needs in Noblesville.
“Having special needs kids myself helped mework with special needs kids at the high school,” Dene said, “and that experiencehas been incredibly valuable in helping me work with special needs kids in myAYS program.”
After several years in the Noblesville school system, all of the instructional assistants were shifted from full-time to part-time employment. This changemeant that Dene lost her healthcare and other benefits and had fewer hours at work.
“One of my coworkers was always talking about her second job at AYS,” Dene said, “So I asked if they were hiring.”
Dene spent a few years working for both AYS and the Noblesville school system before she became a full-time Youth Development Leader (YDL), running her own program at Hinkle Creek Elementary School in Noblesville.
“I loved having the opportunity to run my own program and everything that came with it,” Dene said. “At the time, it was a program where we served a lot of special needs kids.”
After a year and a half of running her own program, Dene felt called to serve even more children in central Indiana. She took on the role of Out-of-School Time (OST) Manager, overseeing six programs throughout the region.
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, she went back to leading a program, supporting AYS’ efforts to provide a safe, stable environment for the children of frontline workers.
“Everything kept changing,” she said, “but we worked well together and we had fun.”
Once the pandemic ended, Dene knew it was time for her to grow again and change the way she served the children of central Indiana. In the last five years, Dene has made steady movement through the administrative side of the organization.
She served as a Shareholder Engagement Specialist before pivoting to development, where she worked as the Corporate and Individual Giving Manager before leading the department as the Director of Development.
When reflecting on her wide-ranging career at AYS, Dene recognized that the organization and the monumental task of working with kids isn’t for everyone, but it is for her.
“I think working at AYS takes a different kind of spirit,” Dene said. “If you love kids and you love working with other people and want get along, you’re going to do well.”
If you’re a stay-at-home parent like Dene looking for a change, or you have other experience working in childcare, AYS could be the organization for you. Find out more and apply at ayskids.org/careers.
Thank you, Dene, for 13 amazing years!