Nichole Klonowski is the Director of Business Development at Pope Design Group and focuses her career on connecting people and opportunities.

Early in her career, Nichole was a social services case manager for adults with disabilities and mental health challenges. Through this experience, she worked with a diverse group of people who were all working towards the same goal of helping others. Learning how to engage with all people, be social, build connections and integrate a sense of humor in daily challenges were powerful lessons for her during this time.

When she got stuck behind a desk, Nichole realized how much she missed interacting with people, and her transition to a career in business development in the A/E/C industry was born. After over a decade in business development, she still loves to make connections; helping people build their networks and solve challenging problems.

Nichole finds ways to incorporate fun and her personal passions into her daily job at Pope. Finding ways to empower women and BIPOC people in the industry, creating art, supporting local emerging artists, volunteering with nonprofit community organizations, and getting out on the golf course are some of the ways she loves to create a strong work-life balance.

She is actively involved in many industry organizations, including MNCREW, MNCAR, AMFP, and the Urban Land Institute. Nichole is a Brooklyn Park City Council member and serves on the Met Council Livable Communities Advisory Committee. In all her efforts, Nichole strives to be a mentor for other women and an advocate for mental health and diversity initiatives.