His classes include American Politics, Race and Politics, Political Theory, Introduction to Community Organizing, and Grassroots Social Movements.

As a member of the Foothill-De Anza Faculty Association Executive Council he co-founded the union’s student internship program and has successfully helped guide this project towards numerous local and statewide victories including wins on minimum wage, student empowerment, local trustee elections and affordable housing.

Nicky has also taken on statewide leadership as the Secretary and Membership Chair of the Asian Pacific Islander Trustee and Administrator Association (APITA) . He is also an active leader in the Faculty Association for the California Community Colleges (FACCC) where he chairs FACCC’s BIPOC committee, chaired the 2019-20 FACCC Student Engagement Taskforce, was the treasurer of the FACCC Political Action Committee, and chaired the PAC Faculty Trustee Task Force.

He founded and co-directs the California Campus Camp, a statewide civic engagement and community organizing training program for community college students, faculty and staff.

In 2001, he was a Senate Fellow in the office of the late United States Senator Paul Wellstone with whom he studied at Carleton College. Nicky earned Ph.D. and JD degrees from the UC Berkeley School of Law where he studied how regular people can influence social policy and government by engaging in democratic grassroots political organizing and building strong communities of mutual support.

Nicky’s early childhood was in the deep south prior to his family moving to S. California.

A Bay-Area resident for 40+ years, Nicky now lives in a co-housing community in Berkeley with his wife Jude where they raised their daughter Dana and son Corey, both now adults.

Nicky grew up in a large immigrant family and enjoys spending time with his 91 year-old mother who still lives independently.