July 10, 2020
Mountain Shadows Foundation Welcomes Nichol Forbes to Board of Directors
By Sheryl Wilde
Nichol Forbes was raised surrounded by a group of loving women, who were also strong and tough.
“The women in my life have amazing values and strong ethics,” says Nichol. “They always showed kindness to everyone. I try to live my life that way. Treating others with respect and kindness is very important to me.
“The people in my life have taught me to ‘give to give’, without expecting anything in return. We need to think about what kind of world we are leaving for our children.”
It is this ‘give to give’ attitude, combined with a passion for standing up for those who can’t stand up for themselves that brings Nichol to the Mountain Shadows Foundation Board of Directors.
“I am so grateful to organizations such as Mountain Shadows. Many people do not realize how prevalent the need for this type of organization is. It is my hope to bring my leadership skills to the Board of Directors, to help MSF continue to rea ch its goals, and to foster growth and awareness of Mountain Shadows within the community.”
Nichol has an extensive background in leadership and management. She recently served as the Executive Secretary II/Administrative Assistant to the CEO, Assistant CEOs and the 10-member Board of Retirement at Orange County Employees Retirement Systems (OCERS). OCERS is among the nation’s 100 largest public pension funds.
In this capacity, she performed all administrative functions and provided support to internal operations, such as Human Relations, Information Technology and Finance. She also acted as liaison between Board members and California/Washington DC legislators in scheduling meetings relating to the OCERS mission, objectives, and performance.
Prior to this, Nichol honed her leadership experience at various companies, including: personally assisting the Director of Business Development at Herron Companies, LLC, a nation-wide commercial and industrial appraisal company; Academy Fire Protection, a national business specializing in management of multi-site fire and life safety protection services, and; Idhasoft Inc., a global leader in providing strategic technology solutions to companies across the world.
Nichol is a graduate of the University of California, Los Angeles, with a degree in English, Emphasis in American Literature and Culture, and a Minor in Political Science. She is married to her husband, Chris, and has a three-year-old daughter, Emory.
In addition to her professional experience, Nichol has family ties to the special needs’ community.
“I have both an aunt, as well as a cousin who function on different ends of the special needs spectrum. Both of these ladies have defied limitations that doctors said they would have. My aunt just turned 60 years old and, in the past, has even held a job; she values her independence as much as we all do. For many years, she has been a wonderful help in taking care of the younger children that my other aunt watches during the week. My other aunt has a daughter with special needs.
“With my cousin, it’s been amazing to watch her grow. One condition that she lives with is cerebral palsy, and she does need 24-hour care. This care she receives at home from her mother. Doctors said my cousin would not be able to understand or respond to us and she would never be able to communicate. While she cannot do many things on her own, she does plenty of communicating. She tries to talk to and respond to us when we engage in conversation with her. She will grunt and use different octaves when responding. She laughs when we say something funny and she smiles when people engage with her. In her 20s now, she’s always beaten the odds.
“What I’ve learned from my aunt and cousin is that, while they have extremely different needs, they’re really not that different. They deserve to be understood and respected just like everyone else. They’ve shown me how to persevere through challenges. They’ve taught me that just because it’s a challenge, that doesn’t make it impossible. They’ve taught me patience, understanding, and compassion.
“Another reason I’m so passionate about joining the Mountain Shadows team is because of my mother. She is an aide through the school district and works with children with special needs. She has been an aide for over 20 years.
“I have watched my mom work with children that teachers and administrators labeled as “unteachable” and gave up on. These children have made behavioral breakthroughs simply because my mom uses patience, understanding and appropriate re-enforcement to accommodate each child’s individual needs. Part of her job is to also ensure each child can appropriately function in an integrated class setting where it is important that they can make it through a normal school day. Each child is different and she works hard to find and use methods that work for each individual child.
“What I have noticed is that my mother is one of the few that puts in the extra time, extra effort, and has the patience to make sure that these children have a fighting chance for success and growth in their school settings.
“Since my mom takes the time to nurture the relationships she has with the students, she continues to make positive changes in their lives each and every day. The impact her work has in the children’s lives, and even the parent’s lives, is inspiring. I know that what she does is not for the faint of heart, and some days it is even not the safest environment, but I know how much she is appreciated and I know how much satisfaction she receives from helping all of the kids she works with.
“I believe that people, like my mom, help to allow children, teenagers, young adults, and adults to realize that their differences do not make them less deserving of respect, or achievement, or living life the best way possible – and Mountain Shadows is providing that to so many people!
“It is so important to have a place, a community, where the members have their own space and are encouraged to have their independence. This allows for their self-confidence to grow and for them to set and achieve goals and results that might otherwise not happen. I believe that the services and learning opportunities that Mountain Shadows provide to its residents help to allow for everyone to live the best life they can.”
This is the Mountain Shadows mission – fostering growth and independence for all of our residents and participants.
We welcome you, Nichol, to our Mountain Shadows Foundation Board of Directors, to help us continue to forge the best possible future for our entire Mountain Shadows family.