Nicole Hurd

Nicole Hurd is an Executive Producer for the docuseries, The Class, alongside award winning artist, Daveed Diggs. Hurd joined Lafayette College after serving as the founder and CEO of College Advising Corps, the largest college-access organization in the nation.

Known as a tireless advocate for increasing student opportunity, Hurd has initiated a number of major initiatives to expand access at Lafayette, including decisions that have made it the first liberal arts college to waive a complex financial aid form for students from high-poverty high schools, quadrupled to $200,000 the family-income level below which financial aid consists exclusively of grants and no loans, and reduced the number of activities requested of students on the Common App.

Hurd is simultaneously leading two critical College-wide processes to strengthen the excellence and impact of Lafayette as it prepares for its bicentennial in 2026: developing a strategic plan and creating a master plan for the physical campus. Together, these initiatives will guide the College’s priorities and drive student success, including educational outcomes, residential experiences, investments in athletics and wellness, and a commitment to innovative creativity and community engagement for years to come.

Prior to becoming Lafayette’s president, Hurd was honored as a 2016 White House Champion of Change for College Opportunity, selected as a Featured Innovator by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and named by Washington Monthly as one the most innovative people in higher education, among other accolades.

Hurd holds a Ph.D. in religious studies from the University of Virginia.