Originally from Libertyville, Ill., Cohen-Nickels earned her B.A. in history from the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana. She earned her Master’s of Education from the University of St. Thomas in Houston. Cohen-Nickels came to the Houston area to teach history in 2007. She taught for 10 years in Fort Bend ISD, serving as Social Studies Department chair for three years. Most recently, she taught history at The Emery/Weiner School. Currently, Cohen-Nickels is teaching at the religious school for Congregation Beth El in Missouri City. She has a love for history and travel and was selected as a Fulbright-Hays scholar to Greece and Turkey in 2011. She also has worked closely with the Houston World Affairs Council as a member of its Core Teacher Council, creating programming and curriculum.