Loved by so many, Ann passed away January 18, 2023, she grew up in Los Angeles. The first in her family to attend college, she graduated from Stanford where she was active on campus with the YWCA, participated in Freedom Summers traveling to register voters, and where she established a program for spending spring break in service known today as Stanford's Alternative Spring Break. Attending Friends Quaker Meeting, she met the love of her life, Andy, and they were married in 1965. She and Andy spent two years in the Peace Corps in Peru, where she taught community development. She served on the national board of the YWCA, 1969-82, and the World YWCA executive board, 1975-83. The power of community to transform informed all her work and she loved the global community of powerful women creating change. Ann received her MSW and DSW in social work from Colombia University. In 1970, she joined the faculty of the ASU School of Social Work, commuting from Tucson to Tempe. A full degree program in Tucson was launched in 1978, with Ann as director. She ran the program until 2008. The thousands of students who studied under her knew the power of her teaching, extended to others through the textbook she co-authored, "Initiating Change in Organizations and Communities." Sabbaticals were used to practice social work globally in Uganda where she developed a community-based organizing movement. In 2008, after 39 years at ASU, she retired to join the faculty at the Mindolo Ecumenical Foundation in Zambia, teaching social work and helping update the national curriculum. On her return, she started the Arizona Grandparent Ambassadors, an advocacy network for grandparents raising their grandchildren and other kin families. After seven years of lobbying, the Arizona legislature changed state law to provide them additional support. Her academic research was broad and uniformly focused on the power of people to create change. She wrote about restorative justice, policy making, and macro-concepts of forgiveness. Her faith communities were a source of strength. She taught Alternatives to Violence in the federal prison, and worked to help families navigate the prison system believing in the goodness in people and the power of restorative justice. A member of Women Confronting Racism, she treasured those friends. She and Andy were members of First Christian Church for 50 years, believing strongly in activism stemming from deep faith. Rarely a week without multiple worship experiences. In the last few years she wrote beautiful liturgies for Community of Christ in the Desert. Ann lost Andy in 2001, and became a widow at 59 with three biological children and five adopted children. "Nana" was the true matriarch of unconditional love and support. Ann is survived by Cathy and Asher (El'ad, Noa, Matan); Michael and Carissa (Audrey); Miles and Alexa; Mardi and Paul (Odyssey, Johnathan, Joshua); Nassau and Scott (Johvan, Nick, Evan, Bradley); Johnnary (Johnnary); Mexi and Dan (Sydney, Jayline, Brendan, Camilla); Haley and Manny (Johnnary, Penelope). She loved all her children and especially her grandchildren. Her last gift was a book of recipes this Christmas with her famous cookie recipes to keep the tradition alive. If you are inspired, a gift can be made to Just Communities, fostering new models for community safety outside the punishment system, or the Ann Nichols Scholarship Fund to help students committed to social change. Services are scheduled for September 2, 2023 at First Christian Church. Ann Nichols, Presente!
