Nicole Frederick

Beyond Akeela Director

Nicole Frederick, LMHC, MT-BC lives in Chicago, IL with her husband, Ben Jerez (who is also a camp director!) and their dog Juniper. Nicole has been part of the Akeela community since 2014 as a cabin counselor at Camp Akeela in Vermont. Since then, she periodically returned as a Head Counselor when her schedule has allowed in her career as a Licensed Mental Health counselor and Music Therapist. Nicole brings experience supporting individuals in residential schools, psychiatric hospitals, and most recently in outpatient therapy.

Nicole is thrilled to return to Akeela as Director of Beyond Akeela! She brings many years of experience in supporting young adults and scaffolding independence in creating a life they want to live, and as an advocate for the independence and empowerment of individuals across the neurodiversity spectrum. In her free time, you can find Nicole outside or inside doing one of her various hobbies. If she isn’t traveling, she is playing the violin with a community orchestra, trying a new bread recipe, or taking her dog for a walk.