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Nicole Gislason, Executive Director, Haas Center

Nicole Gislason

Biography

Nicole Gislason is the Executive Director of the University of West Florida Haas Center, part of UWF's Division of Academic Affairs. The center’s team supports communities with market research, workforce development and industrial innovation. The Haas Center’s information products and services are designed to inform strategic decision-making processes and enhance the region’s competitiveness. Her primary aptitude in higher education is an ability to communicate effectively with educators, business leaders, and government officials. This allows her to connect people who have common needs but different missions.

Gislason has been the principal investigator on numerous UWF research projects. Her most recent federal award includes the prominent EDA University Center designation by the US Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration. Gislason’s previous work includes a public-private partnership between Florida’s manufacturing sector, the State, and the National Institute for Standards and Technology’s (NIST) Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP). Gislason's early grant success included a Department of Labor $3.9M award that enabled UWF to recruit, train and develop the IT workforce in a project known as Florida HireEd.

Gislason is the Chairman of Florida’s Great Northwest and a Trustee with the Florida Chamber Foundation. She serves as a board member of the Association for University Business and Economic Research, a national association of regional economic research centers. Gislason also serves on the board of the Central Gulf Industrial Alliance and the Rotary Club of Pensacola.

Nicole holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of West Florida’s College of Business. She has completed numerous executive education programs including two certificates in Additive Manufacturing for Innovative Design and Production from MIT. 

Gislason’s talented team of professionals and students operates a unique additive manufacturing laboratory, known as Sea3D. Housing state-of-the-art additive manufacturing equipment, the Sea3D lab provides a space for students, industry partners and community members to collaborate on the creation and printing of 3-D products. The business students and research staff work inside Pensacola's oldest schoolhouse at 212 Church Street.