Nicole Love Hendrickson

Nicole Love Hendrickson was elected chairwoman of the Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners in 2020, making her the first African American to hold this position in Georgia’s second-most populous and most diverse county. As the Commission Chair, she leads the Board in setting the direction and formulating policies for county government, overseeing the creation and adoption of Gwinnett’s more than $2.5 billion budget, ensuring Gwinnett’s superior services reach all its nearly 1 million residents.

Since taking office, Chairwoman Hendrickson has led Gwinnett County’s efforts to build a stronger, more inclusive Gwinnett: prioritizing transportation and enhancing mobility for all through the creation of a new transit development plan; advancing housing affordability through the creation of the affordable housing development fund; restoring and reinvigorating a thriving economy that delivers economic security for small and minority businesses; and directly engaging with residents to make local government more responsive, transparent, and accountable. You can watch Chairwoman Hendrickson review past years’ achievements and her vision for Gwinnett in her State of the County addresses.

Chairwoman Hendrickson was instrumental in rewriting Gwinnett County’s mission, vision, and values statements to emphasize the principles of accountability, transparency, equity, inclusivity, and innovation. She continues to lead in the development of Gwinnett’s historic Equity Action Plan and the Gwinnett Place Mall Equitable Redevelopment Plan, which both serve as guiding principles for ensuring investments and service delivery center the voices of the community.

Chairwoman Hendrickson oversaw the investment and launch of the Gwinnett Entrepreneur Center and the initiation and expansion of the Police Mental Health Collaboration pilot program, both of which have expanded since launching.

Chairwoman Hendrickson is active on several local, statewide, and national boards, including the Atlanta Regional Commission, Metropolitan North Georgia Water District Board, Gwinnett Board of Health, Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce, Georgia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, and the Association of County Commissioners of Georgia’s Policy Steering Committee. She also serves at the national level as Vice Chair of the National Association of Counties’ Community, Workforce, and Economic Development Committee. She is a proud member of the Rotary Club of Gwinnett County. She led the launch of the Local Leaders Housing Action Committee, which is responsible for developing a region-wide plan to address the Atlanta region’s housing affordability challenges.

She refined her approach to leadership by completing multiple leadership development programs, including Leadership Gwinnett and the Atlanta Regional Commission’s Regional Leadership Institute, to name a few.

As a purpose-driven leader, Chairwoman Hendrickson has been recognized as Engineering Georgia’s 100 Most Influential Women in Georgia and Atlanta Business Chronicle’s Power 100: Most Influential Atlantans. She was the recipient of Congressman Hank Johnson’s Trailblazer Award, a recipient of the Gwinnett Chamber’s Public Service Award, and Georgia Trend named her one of the state’s 100 most influential Georgians.

Chairwoman Hendrickson earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Rhode Island and a Master of Social Work from the University of Georgia. She resides in unincorporated Lilburn with her husband, Keverne, and their son, Kaden.