Nicole Hockley's profile

Nicole Hockley

Founder and Managing Director for Sandy Hook Promise

About me

Nicole Hockley is a Founder and Managing Director for Sandy Hook Promise (SHP), where she leads and manages the organization’s work, focusing on communications and outreach efforts and frequently serving as its spokesperson.

After the tragic death of her son Dylan, one of 20 first-graders killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School, Nicole is focused on bringing people together in honest dialogue and searching for innovative solutions in the areas of mental health, school safety, community building and gun safety. She came to SHP with an extensive background in strategic marketing and communications for companies in the US and in the UK.

Hockley oversees SHP’s strategic direction and communications, where she works tirelessly to enable social change and promote gun violence prevention.

To date, Nicole has lead SHP to educate and train over 2.5 million youths, teens, and adults in all 50 states through the organization’s four proven “Know the Signs” programs that are offered to schools, youth groups, and community groups at no-cost. Her passionate work has resulted in the prevention of multiple school shooting plots and gun threats, several teen suicides, as well as other violent acts throughout the country.

In addition, Nicole was instrumental in working with BBDO New York on the award-winning PSA “Evan” that generated 2 billion impressions across 33 countries. The campaign championed the message at the heart of SHP’s mission - that gun violence is preventable when one knows the signs, and won 10 coveted Cannes Lions awards.

After Dylan’s death, the Hockley family created Dylan’s Wings of Change, a 501(c)(3) charity with a mission to help children with autism and other related conditions to achieve their full potential, with specific programs on technology, sports & arts and a “Wingman” program that instills leadership and fosters inclusion.

Today, Nicole remains in Sandy Hook with her eldest son, Jake.

In response to #AskAMogul: Hi, I'm Nicole Hockley. I'm a Founder and Managing Director for Sandy Hook Promise where I work to prevent gun violence. Ask me anything. Your questions will be answered live 5/8 @ 2pm ET. by Nicole Hockley • May 08, 2018
Time for me to go! I'll check in later to answer any questions I may have missed. Thanks for participating!
In response to #AskAMogul: Hi, I'm Nicole Hockley. I'm a Founder and Managing Director for Sandy Hook Promise where I work to prevent gun violence. Ask me anything. Your questions will be answered live 5/8 @ 2pm ET. by Nicole Hockley • May 08, 2018
Great question, Danica. Because of the 2nd Amendment, in the US we all have the right to bear arms. However, I believe with that right comes an awesome responsibility, and yet we don't have effective ways to ensure someone who is purchasing who accessing a firearm is prepared for that responsibility. Legislation such as Extreme Risk Protection orders, universal background checks and minimum age requirements can be very effective here. I also do not believe that everyone needs access to firearms such as the AR-15, or high capacity magazines. I can understand why someone might want to use one at a shooting range, but I've yet to hear a logical reply to why they are needed for personal home protection or hunting. I'm very open to understanding different perspectives though! Guns are in the US and won't be going away. That's why I choose to focus more on the person accessing the weapon and what we need to do to ensure they are not at risk of hurting themselves or someone else, long before they reach the point of picking up a weapon with intent to harm.
In response to #AskAMogul: Hi, I'm Nicole Hockley. I'm a Founder and Managing Director for Sandy Hook Promise where I work to prevent gun violence. Ask me anything. Your questions will be answered live 5/8 @ 2pm ET. by Nicole Hockley • May 08, 2018
Thanks for your question, Taylor! What I have found, and I think it rings true for many tragedies, is that after something like this people come together and want to do something, but as different ideas of what that "something" should be, fractures occur and people go in different directions. Over time, they usually come back together. I can't speak for the town, but my from perspective, that is what happened/is happening here. It's a beautiful community, but 28,000 people can have 28,000 different opinions! I believe it is a close community, based in kindness and respect, but we are all still very unique in our paths.
In response to #AskAMogul: Hi, I'm Nicole Hockley. I'm a Founder and Managing Director for Sandy Hook Promise where I work to prevent gun violence. Ask me anything. Your questions will be answered live 5/8 @ 2pm ET. by Nicole Hockley • May 08, 2018
Thanks Kathye!

1. Sandy Hook Promise is national - currently in 7000 schools from all 50 states and growing fast, so you can definitely help where you live. Start by going to sandyhookpromise.org and Make The Promise. We can then help you with specific activities where you live, including sharing our mission/message, bringing our no-cost programs to your community, donating to help deliver the programs, becoming a Trainer or Promise Leader, or advocating for sensible legislation.

2. I ignore people who actively work against me. I work very well with people that don't always share my opinion - you can learn so much from respectful conversation - but if someone is obviously only interested in making noise, I ignore them and put my energy elsewhere

3. We all talk to each other and coordinate each other where it makes sense, but we don't work together on every single idea. Firstly, because we don't want to duplicate each other. Second, we each have a unique path of how we are implementing change. A movement is not one person or one organization - it is many working toward a common goal but staying laser-focused on their lane in the highway and the people they are trying to reach.

Hope that helps!
In response to #AskAMogul: Hi, I'm Nicole Hockley. I'm a Founder and Managing Director for Sandy Hook Promise where I work to prevent gun violence. Ask me anything. Your questions will be answered live 5/8 @ 2pm ET. by Nicole Hockley • May 08, 2018
Thanks Taylor. Ummm...honestly, I work a lot. I tried to start a book club as I found I was only reading books about social movements and youth violence, but then still didn't make time for the monthly social book! My surviving son, Jake, is my number one priority, so when I'm with him we do whatever he wants to do - play video games, watch TV (Hell's Kitchen and Dr Who are current faves of his), movies, cycling and tennis. Otherwise, if I have free time for me, I am currently doing a lot of DIY/construction in my house and like to teach myself to make new things and learn new skills. My go-to is the beach; I love it for walking, thinking, swimming, anything really. Finally, I have a very close network of friends, including 4 other women that I have been friends with since 7th grade and we talk every single day.
In response to #AskAMogul: Hi, I'm Nicole Hockley. I'm a Founder and Managing Director for Sandy Hook Promise where I work to prevent gun violence. Ask me anything. Your questions will be answered live 5/8 @ 2pm ET. by Nicole Hockley • May 08, 2018
Thanks for your question Brian. I really hope so. The NRA's leadership has significantly changed the organization over the last 30 years, and I do not believe they represent the core of their membership. But even the leadership are people and parents - I have to believe that down deep they want to protect people and not just profits. I also believe they will have to move more toward the center/middle ground, or risk being marginalized. We can DEFINITELY tighten gun safety laws and ensure appropriate access, while maintaining 2A rights. Open minds, respectful conversation and looking for the 'possible" instead of just the "impossible" are important first steps. Nobody is PRO-gun violence. There is a way forward if people want it.
In response to #AskAMogul: Hi, I'm Nicole Hockley. I'm a Founder and Managing Director for Sandy Hook Promise where I work to prevent gun violence. Ask me anything. Your questions will be answered live 5/8 @ 2pm ET. by Nicole Hockley • May 08, 2018
Thank you Jesse. I don't consider myself brave. I'm just a parent who doesn't want anyone to experience the loss of a child, especially from such a senseless, preventable tragedy. Dylan was 6 years old when he was killed. He doesn't have a voice, so I will be his voice and work to prevent gun violence in his name. It's the best way I can think to honor him. <3
In response to #AskAMogul: Hi, I'm Nicole Hockley. I'm a Founder and Managing Director for Sandy Hook Promise where I work to prevent gun violence. Ask me anything. Your questions will be answered live 5/8 @ 2pm ET. by Nicole Hockley • May 08, 2018
Get engaged in the issue, Bruce! Find an organization that resonates with the way you want to help this issue and lean in to it! If you like what we do at Sandy Hook Promise (teaching prevention in schools and youth orgs mixed with lobbying for complementary legislation) then go to sandyhookpromise.org and enter your email to Make The Promise. You can share our mission and messages with your friends and on social media, become a Promise Leader (our 6000+ strong Super Volunteers) and help bring our no-cost programs to your school (over 7000 in all 50 states, and growing), donate so we can keep training more youth and adults in our prevention programs, and/or support our state and federal legislative efforts. Lots of ways you can help - the first step is Making the Promise and then keeping that Promise.
In response to #AskAMogul: Hi, I'm Nicole Hockley. I'm a Founder and Managing Director for Sandy Hook Promise where I work to prevent gun violence. Ask me anything. Your questions will be answered live 5/8 @ 2pm ET. by Nicole Hockley • May 08, 2018
Thank you Bethany. We have a downloadable brochure at www.sandyhookpromise.org that highlights some of the main signs to watch for that may indicate someone is at risk of hurting themselves or someone else. This includes things like being over aggressive and/or lacking self-control. chronic social isolation, threatening behavior, major behavioral shifts, expressing hopelessness about the future, antisocial behavior, bragging about access to weapons etc.
In response to #AskAMogul: Hi, I'm Nicole Hockley. I'm a Founder and Managing Director for Sandy Hook Promise where I work to prevent gun violence. Ask me anything. Your questions will be answered live 5/8 @ 2pm ET. by Nicole Hockley • May 08, 2018
Thanks Sandy! We've been doing our best to support them by amplifying their voices and helping where we can. We've done a few events together, and I hope to do more to help them get their message to SHP supporters and schools. I was at the march in DC, along with my son and my Mom and it was truly amazing. I love what the MFOL/Never Again team is doing!

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