Nicole Leapley

I was born in rural Nebraska where I attended public schools and a public land-grant university for college. I will be forever grateful for my public education. It prepared me extremely well for an engaged life and helped me excel in a challenging career and become a leader in my community. I earned my doctorate and spent over 20 years working in higher education.

I’ve lived in a number of places before New Hampshire—Nebraska, Colorado, Philadelphia, St. Louis, and France (I was a French professor for over 15 years). Growing up in a rural place and moving around has taught me to be observant, open-minded, and a good listener, and that there are many different ways to solve challenging problems. It has also made me more aware of my privileges and contributes to my awareness of how society can serve and support all people—and how sometimes we fail to live up to our highest values as Americans. Things don’t have to be the way they are—this society is built on decisions that we have made over time. If they aren’t serving us any longer, we can make new decisions. That’s actually our job as engaged citizens.

I’ve lived in Manchester since 2005. Today I freelance; writing and teaching—for example creating educational content for children’s books and teaching religious school and rock climbing to kids. I’m also a parent of two students in Manchester Public Schools.

Since 2020, I have represented Ward 11 on the Manchester Board of School Committee, serving on the policy committee and chairing the conduct committee. Through my service on the School Board, I’ve connected with a wide range of community voices, gained valuable policy-making experience, and learned how to leverage the tools of policy to serve the diverse needs of students, families, and teachers. But I’ve also come to understand that many of the challenges we face at the city level – not only in education and education funding, but also in housing, public health, transportation, criminal justice, and workforce development – must be addressed at the state level. That’s why I’m running for State Representative.