Barbara L. Nichols

Barbara L. Nichols (July 19, 1939 – July 22, 2026) was an American nurse leader and was the first black president of the American Nurses Association. A graduate of Case Western Reserve University and the University of Wisconsin–Madison, Nichols was a CEO of CGFNS International, a president of the Wisconsin Nurses Association and a Living Legend of the American Academy of Nursing.

Early life and education Nichols grew up in Maine and attended the Massachusetts Memorial School of Nursing and earned a bachelor's degree in nursing from Case Western Reserve University. She worked at Boston Children's Hospital before joining the United States Navy.

Career At the U.S. Naval Hospital in St. Albans, Queens, Nichols was a head nurse. In 1970, Nichols became president of the Wisconsin Nurses Association. As of 2013, she was still the only black president in the organization's history. After her service as ANA president, Nichols was named secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Regulation and Licensing; with that appointment she became the first black female in Wisconsin to hold a state Cabinet-level role. Nichols saw a two-fold purpose for CGFNS: to protect the public by ensuring the adequate preparation of nurses and the protection of immigrant nurses from exploitation. Nichols held faculty appointments at the University of Wisconsin–Madison and Excelsior College, and she served on the board of directors of the American National Standards Institute.

Nichols died on July 22, 2026, at the age of 87.

Honors and awards In 2010, Nichols was named a Living Legend of the American Academy of Nursing. She was a past recipient of the Mary Mahoney Award from the ANA. She received an honorary Doctor of Science from the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee in 1979.