Events

Nicole Normandin currently serves as the Executive Director for Stuff the Sleigh, a nonprofit organization that supports the psychosocial and emotional needs of pediatric cancer and hematology patients and families. Over the last ten years, Nicole has worked with vulnerable populations in several capacities – most recently as a Clinical Social Worker at Texas Children’s Cancer and Hematology Centers and as a Community Outreach Specialist with the American Cancer Society.

Nicole has a Bachelor’s of Arts in Psychology and a Masters of Science in Social Work, both from the University of Texas at Austin. In May 2017, she completed the Rice University Leadership Institute for Nonprofit Executives. She has extensive work volunteering and serving others, including time as the President of Student Hope, a pilot program through the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network.

What she loves most about her role in Stuff the Sleigh is the ability to give each patient, sibling and parent a little something to make them smile despite the devastating circumstances around them. When Nicole’s father lost his 7-year battle to pancreatic cancer, her personal and professional passion for positively impacting the lives of cancer patients was reinforced, allowing her to lead the efforts made by Stuff the Sleigh.

ROCO is a dynamic and innovative professional music ensemble that flexes from 1 to 40 players from all over the US and Canada, with guest artists from around the world. Performing intimate concerts in dozens of venues, ROCO’s musicians don’t just give concerts – they challenge preconceptions, create extraordinary experiences, and foster new relationships with audiences through the language of music.

Expanding the repertoire, ROCO has premiered over 65 commissions from living American composers. ROCO embraces technology, with free worldwide concert livestreams and real-time artist commentary via a smartphone app, as well as on-demand recordings of past concerts via the Listening Room. A vital part of the community, ROCO concert DVDs are sent to nursing homes and hospitals to bring music to those immobile communities, and their music education/childcare program attracts multigenerational audiences.

Dr. Rachel A. Meidl, LP.D., CHMM, is the fellow in energy and environment at Rice University's James A. Baker III Institute of Public Policy. She was previously appointed by President Obama to the U.S. Federal Government Senior Executive Service to lead the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration as Deputy Associate Administrator, an agency of the U.S. Department of Transportation in Washington, D.C. Meidl led development of domestic and international policy interests and oversaw the department’s delegations to the United Nations International Civil Aviation Organization, the United Nations Transportation of Dangerous Goods Council and the International Atomic Energy Agency. Her research and teaching portfolio focus on domestic and international policy and law as it relates to imports and exports of hazardous wastes; upstream and end-of-life management of byproducts and wastes; alternative and renewable energy and energy recovery technologies; chemical safety reform; and safety and environmental regulations of the treatment, storage, disposal, and transportation of chemicals within and outside the U.S.

Prior to her public service, Dr. Meidl was the director of regulatory and technical affairs at the American Chemistry Council in Washington, D.C., where she advanced a broad range of regulatory and policy issues that involved enforcement, compliance, investigations and litigation on behalf of the chemical and petrochemical industries. She has more than 20 years of experience in industry, academia, government, politics and international relations, managing the entire life cycle of hazardous waste operations and emergency response to chemical, explosive, radioactive and biohazardous materials.

Dr. Meidl holds a Ph.D. in law and public policy from Northeastern University, a master’s in environmental policy and management with a concentration in environmental chemistry and international law from the University of Denver, a master’s of education in applied science and technology with certifications in chemistry and physics from National University, and bachelor’s degrees in conservation biology and zoology & animal physiology from the University of Wisconsin–Madison.