Featuring Nicole Armstrong, Executive Program Director, The Matthews House
The Matthews House, a community resource for youth and families in need in Fort Collins, CO, is guided by a compassionate and resourceful direct service and administrative staff. They work every day toward their overall goal of disrupting the cycles of poverty and abuse. Leading this team is Nicole Armstrong, Executive Director, who took on this role as of March 2020.
Nicole has been part of the Matthews House almost from its beginning. Since 2008, she has served in many roles, starting as a direct service worker herself. Her experience and insights have given her a perspective on all sides of working with youth and families. Nicole has had the opportunity to join the team when it was still in its infancy – with just 7 employees. And she has been provided the opportunity to grow professionally and personally as The Matthews House also grew and developed.
In her current role as Executive Director, Nicole is responsible for the overall administration and management of The Matthews House, including service programs, fundraising, and business operations. Her areas of responsibility include planning and evaluation, policy development and administration, personnel and fiscal management, and public relations.
Nicole’s personal and educational experiences inform all of her work at The Matthews House. Nicole herself is married and has children, including foster children. In addition, she holds a Masters degree in Clinical, Counseling, and Applied Psychology from Post University and a Bachelors of Science in Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services from the University of Colorado.
When Nicole started with The Matthews, their goal and mission were to serve youth in transition. Through continued work to expand and understand the needs of the youth and families in our community, they have continued to expand with intentional programming and opportunities. This has ensured that their community is healthy and that all youth and families feel supported and part of our community. The Matthews House continues to explore and understand the needs in the community with intentional work that honors what is needed for the youth and family we serve.
Nicole understands the honor and humility of walking along side someone who is vulnerable during some of the hardest times of their lives. Some of the youth and families come for a short time and other times they stay for longer times. All of the youth and families Nicole has met and worked with bring so much meaning to her work and have shaped who she is as a worker and parent.
Throughout her years at The Matthews House, Nicole has come to understand and appreciate the true value of her journey and experiences. She considers it an honor to work at an agency that has been instrumental in changing the landscape of how human services are rendered in Northern Colorado.