Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Sandy Hook Promise
Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Sandy Hook Promise
Nicole Hockley chose to transform unspeakable grief and anguish into action after her youngest son, Dylan, was murdered in his first-grade classroom during the Sandy Hook Elementary School tragedy.
As the co-founder and co-CEO of Sandy Hook Promise, Nicole works every day to protect children from gun and school violence.
Sandy Hook Promise Foundation is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to educating and empowering youth and adults to prevent violence in schools, homes, and communities. Under Nicole Hockley’s leadership, the research-driven Know The Signs violence prevention programs were created and are now available to schools at no cost. More than 35 million have participated in these life-saving programs in 34,000+ schools and youth organizations nationwide. As a result, countless acts of violence have been stopped, including at least 18 planned school attacks. This has saved lives and helped youth get vital mental health support.
Nicole is a leading voice on school safety and gun violence prevention. She rises above the political divide over gun control. Instead, she focused on helping young people get the help they need. She is a sought-after keynote speaker and commenter. She shares her knowledge on recognizing the warning signs of someone who may be in crisis. Nicole also teaches how to safely intervene when someone is at risk of harming themselves or others. She has presented several TEDx Talks, her opinion editorials have been published by Newsweek, CNN, USA Today, and InStyle. Her commentary has been featured in CNN, MSNBC, Newsy, ABC, CBS, and NBC news coverage, among countless other media outlets.
Driven by Nicole’s extensive background in strategic marketing and communications for companies in the U.S. and U.K., Sandy Hook Promise has become a thought leader on school safety and at the forefront of the gun violence prevention movement. She helped c0-create award-winning and provocative PSA campaigns with BBDO New York. They have amassed hundreds of millions of views worldwide, including “Evan” which got two billion impressions and 10 coveted Cannes Lions Awards. “Back-to-School Essentials,” and “Teenage Dream” both won prestigious Emmy Awards for Best Commercial of 2019, and 2021, respectively.
In 2024, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Federal School Safety Clearinghouse External Advisory Board appointed Nicole as a Representative Member. She also began serving on the Issue Advisory Council for the Ad Council’s gun violence prevention initiative with a coalition of healthcare leaders and subject matter experts. Nicole received an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from Trinity College in 2023. This was for her work in humanitarian and philanthropic efforts. She also received a Doctor of Laws degree from Fairfield University in 2022.
In December of 2022, Nicole joined as a member of John Hopkins University’s Implementation Working Group for the National ERPO Resource Center. Late in 2023, Nicole became a member of the Violence Project Advisory Board. In 2016, People magazine recognized her as one of 25 Women Changing the World. But her favorite recognition is for being the best Mom she can to her surviving son, Jake.
Nicole’s solemn “promise” to honor her son and the other 25 lives taken on December 14, 2012 with action has never wavered. She continues to spread awareness that violence is preventable. We all have a role and responsibility to “know the signs” and get help.
For interviews and requests for comment from journalists and members of the media, contact [email protected].
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