Nick Paradiso has over 30 years of experience in government relations, education policy, education management, and business development. He is nationally regarded as a strategic leader in the field of education policy.
Before joining Michael Best Strategies, Nick spent 22 years with National Heritage Academies (NHA), a charter school management company partnering with 100 charter schools, and serving 65,000 students across nine states. Nick’s most recent position at NHA was Chief of Advocacy and Business Relations. He previously served as Vice President of Partner Services, and Chief Business Development Officer. Throughout his tenure and multiple roles at NHA, Nick had responsibility for leading the company’s growth strategy, managing relationships with partner charter school boards, and leading the company’s government relations strategy and operations. This included responsibility for advising the Chairman and Founder on his political giving and advocacy strategy.
Prior to his work with NHA, Nick helped launch the New York Charter School Resource Center. He served as Vice President, working with community leaders and organizations to start new charter schools. Previously, Nick served as a Senior Research Associate for the Empire Foundation for Public Policy Research, and as a Regulatory Policy Analyst in former New York Governor George Pataki’s Office of Regulatory Reform.
Nick brings his passion for student learning and achievement to every client engagement, as well as to his community endeavors, which include serving on the Board of the Michigan Education Workforce Initiative (MEWI) and as the incoming Board President of the Grand Rapids Children’s Museum. Previously, he served on Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s COVID Return to School Committee where he advocated for returning students to school for in-person instruction.