Nicholas Wilson

Nicholas Wilson is the School of Geography, Development & Environment’s (SGDE) Assistant Director of Administrative Operations. Nicholas oversees and manages the day-to-day administrative and operational activities of the school, including academic and faculty affairs, research activity, and outreach efforts.

Nicholas has worked in higher education for more than twelve years and has held administrative positions within the College of Social Behavioral Sciences' Development Office, the University of Arizona Foundation, Native American Student Affairs (NASA), and Pima Community College's District Financial Aid Office. Prior to joining SGDE, Nicholas served as Director of Strategic Partnerships for the Arizona Department of Education's Office of Indian Education.

As an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, Nicholas is working on becoming a third-degree Indigenous Wildcat with a B.A. in Communication (2009), M.A. in Student Affairs (2018), and a Ph.D. in Higher Education (2025). His research interests include Indigenous college student access, persistence, and degree completion, Indigenous metaphysics, philosophies, pedagogies, and development, Indigenous research methodologies and knowledge production, and Indigenous Gender and Sexualities.

In his spare time, Nicholas has served as a founding board member of Indigenous Intellectual Warriors (IIW), former secretary for the American Indian Alumni (AIA) Club, advisory board member for the Engaging Native Boys in Education, Tribal Lifeways, and Environmental Stewardship Project, and co-creator of Eco-Truths for Indigenous Youth Seasonal Camps.

Finally, Nicholas worked collaboratively with The University of Arizona's College of Education, Indigenous Strategies, LLC., and the Ironwood Tree Experience to publish a report on a multi-year Indigenous community-led inquiry funded by the Agnes Nelms Haury Program in Environmental and Social Justice to investigate what engages Native American boys and young men in education, tribal lifeways, and land stewardship. (Re)Establishing Kinship with Native Boys: A Story of (Re)Learning & Listening to Native Male Voices was released in June 2022.