Alison N. Nooks

Alison N. Nooks currently serves as the Director of Professional Education for Trilith Institute, a nonprofit that is preparing the next generation of storytellers and leading the future of the entertainment industry through a wide range of innovative initiatives and educational opportunities. Alison has over 25 years of experience in higher education with additional years working in government and industry.

Alison and her husband, Dr. Kirk A. Nooks, will celebrate 27 years of marriage later this year. Kirk currently serves as the President and CEO of the Council of Occupational Education (or COE), one of the nation’s over 60 higher education accreditors. Prior to that Dr. Nooks served as a college president at Gordon State College in Barnesville, Georgia, for five years and MCC-Longview in Lee’s Summit, Missouri also for five years.

Serving as a presidential spouse for 10 years, Alison is proud to be a former Co-Coordinator of AASCU’s Spouse/Partner Program. During her tenure at Gordon State, she championed a range of initiatives including starting the first GSC First Lady Reading Tour, reading to hundreds of 1st, 2nd, and 3rd graders in the college’s 14-county primary service area. The tour focused on the power of reading and celebrated the impact of teachers. The books selected encouraged strong character development and empowered children to use their talents and abilities to make wise choices and set and achieve their goals.

Alison is a public speaker and communicator focusing on the power of effective and compassionate communication. During her teaching and in administrative roles, she has also chaired several curriculum committees, developed enrichment series, and served as an advisor to Phi Theta Kappa. Likewise, she has presented at several national conferences to include the AASCU Annual Meeting, Chair Academy, D2L Connection Worldwide, and the Teaching Matters Conference.

One of Alison’s favorite quotes is by Helen Keller that says, “When one door of happiness closes, another opens; but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one which has been opened for us.”

Alison is working on her first book, a daily journal, and holds a B.B.A. in economics and an M.B.A. in finance, both, from Mercer University (Macon, GA), and an M.A. in public communication from American University (Washington, D.C.). Alison and Kirk have three talented, grounded, and beautiful children – a daughter who will be completing her masters in higher education administration and policy this May and twins who are thriving seventh graders. They reside in Forsyth, GA.