Meet Nicole Johnson, Executive Director for One Village Partners

We are thrilled to introduce you to Nicole, who has recently joined One Village Partners as the Executive Director! Nicole is a passionate and highly motivated champion of community-led development. As One Village Partners continues to grow and forge strategic partnerships with communities, we look forward to Nicole’s leadership and more opportunities for communities to create positive change across Sierra Leone. We asked Nicole some questions to get to know her. Check out her responses below!

Nicole Johnson, Executive Director

Nicole (center) in Forlu, Sierra Leone

Welcome aboard to One Village Partners! What are you most looking forward to as you begin your role as Executive Director?

Learning more about our work and meeting the communities we work with, our staff and supporters! I have the amazing opportunity to travel to Sierra Leone in November for two weeks and will be able to see firsthand and listen directly to communities working with One Village Partners.  There is no better way to really begin to understand what One Village Partner’s work looks like in action and what our results are! 

In the coming months, I’ll be focused on a few key priorities: strengthening how we understand, measure, and communicate our impact; reviewing organizational systems and operations; and most importantly, growing our funding base so that we can scale our work and deepen our partnerships.

What drew you to One Village Partners?

The organization’s focus on community-led development!! From the first time I came across One Village Partners, I was so inspired and excited by the organization’s approach in putting the priorities of communities at the forefront and supporting communities to realize those priorities. This was an organization that didn’t just have the right words to say about its mission and values; this was visibly an organization actively working to continually strengthen how it delivers on those missions and values.

As I moved through the recruitment process, what truly sealed it for me was the passion of the people I met. The staff and board’s unwavering commitment to Sierra Leone and to authentic community partnership left me feeling both energized and certain: this is the kind of organization I want to lead and grow with.

Can you tell us a little bit about your professional journey leading up to this role?

Born in Minnesota and raised in the Washington, DC suburbs, after college in the US, I moved to the UK in 2002 for a Master’s program in Youth Studies and then led urban youth programs in London for a decade. After more post-graduate study in not-for-profit management, in 2011, I joined the UK’s Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO) as a full-time volunteer in Kenya for 2 years. This was my first experience in international development – an experience rooted in community-led development and foundational in my principles and beliefs for what development should look like.

After volunteering, I led VSO’s global youth portfolio for a couple of years, and then moved to Cambodia, where for over 10 years I worked with several large International NGOs and a USAID contractor. In all of those roles, I was able to promote community-led development, developing approaches which placed participants at the centre of program design and implementation.

What does a meaningful partnership with our communities look like to you?

To me, meaningful partnership begins with deep respect for the knowledge, priorities, and capacities that already exist within communities. It means engaging not as experts coming in with answers, but as collaborators walking alongside people who know best what their needs are. It involves extensive listening. And it also means investing for the long term. True partnership isn’t transactional or one-time; rather, it’s rooted in trust, shared goals, and the ongoing strengthening of leadership, systems, and skills that communities identify as essential for their own growth.

What does a typical weekend look like for you?

Typically, my husband and I will go to a gym class on Saturday morning, and then go for a hike with our 8-year-old son in the afternoon. For the past 10 years, we lived in Cambodia, which doesn’t have much accessible green space, so we are loving all the parks and trails that Minnesota has to offer! We usually go to church on Sunday morning, and then enjoy playing board games or watching a family movie. We also live near my parents, so my son is able to enjoy time with grandpa and grandma! 

What’s one fun or surprising fact about you?

I have played the flute for nearly 40 years. While I really enjoy it, I’m only averagely good!

If you could describe yourself in three words, what words would you choose?

Approachable. Organized. Motivated.

What message do you have for our donors and supporters?

I’m genuinely looking forward to getting to know you! Your support is what makes this work possible. In the months ahead, I hope to spend time listening to your stories, learning what drew you to One Village Partners, and understanding the values that guide your commitment to community-led development.

I’m also excited to share updates from our work on the ground in Sierra Leone. Together, we’ll continue to strengthen and scale a model that puts communities at the center, focuses on solutions, and delivers sustainable impact.

Come meet Nicole at our upcoming Virtual Town Hall on December 4th! Virtual Town Halls are free events that take place over Zoom. You can learn more or register by clicking on the link below.