Jim Nicholson - Executive Director of Mid-Ohio Youth Mentoring
Jim’s journey with Youth Mentoring started more than 20 years ago, and he is currently the Executive Director of Mid-Ohio Youth Mentoring. Jim got his degree from the University of Wisconsin in the early 1990’s, and during his career he has worked with at-risk youth from both ends of the juvenile justice system. Jim started as a youth advocate in juvenile Court, working with first time offenders, but has also worked in aftercare, with kids being released from detention, as a halfway house resident counselor. Jim has always felt there must be a way to help the kids make better choices before they make the bad decision(s) that land them in trouble, and the juvenile justice system. This is where Youth Mentoring came in for Jim.
Jim relocated to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania where he worked for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Bucks County from 2000 to 2004. While there, Jim worked his way up from a case manager to the Program Director in just 2.5 years. Jim then relocated to Mansfield OH in 2004, with his family, and worked part time for Big Brothers Big Sisters of North Central Ohio here in Mansfield for a year. Jim also worked for Richland County Children Services as a neglect and abuse investigator until December of 2008 when he accepted the position as the Executive Director of Big Brothers Big Sisters of North Central Ohio.
Big Brothers Big Sisters has since changed their name to Mid-Ohio Youth Mentoring and continues to offer the kids in our community life changing mentoring relationships. Jim has always had a great passion for helping children achieve their full potential in life, and his enthusiasm and expertise has been very important for the agency cause.
Jim is involved in all aspects of kids’ lives in Mansfield Ohio and is known affectionately as “coach” by many kids in the community. Jim has coached multiple soccer, baseball, and basketball teams for various organizations every season for the last 11 years. His patience, fairness, and ability to relate to the kids are some of his strengths. Jim sits on the board of directors for Mansfield Southwest Little League, Mansfield United Youth Soccer, The Richland Academy of the Arts, Richland County Children Services, and the iHeart Media local advisory board. Jim hopes that through his involvement with the kids in the community, more children’s lives can be changed for the better, forever.