Interim Executive Director
Nicole (Nikki) Carlos

Nicole (Nikki) Carlos is the Interim Executive Director of Metropolitan Family Services DuPage. She is also Vice President of Program Development and Operations for Metropolitan Family Services, serving in the latter role since 2022. As Vice President she leads initiatives to target and maximize opportunities for program alignment and standardization, all focused on helping Metropolitan’s centers, programs and staff best serve their clients and communities. 

Before her current roles, Carlos was the Executive Director of Metropolitan Family Services DuPage. She served in this role from 2019  to 2022, bringing a strategic lens to empowering families through integrated program and service delivery, looking outside the box to guide staff in ways to approach service integration more broadly to serve clients more effectively and holistically. Additionally, she led Metropolitan DuPage’s extensive partnerships with the greater DuPage community, which have been an essential part of the Center’s success and span the public and private sectors. 

Carlos’ other leadership roles with Metropolitan Family Services included working as Director of Early Learning Programs, leading agency-wide Early Childhood Education (ECE) services from 2018 - 2019, after directing Metropolitan DuPage’s ECE programs from 2012-2018. During her tenure in these roles, Metropolitan’s early learning programs doubled in number. A member of Metropolitan’s agency-wide Strategy & Innovation Team, Nikki also staffed Metropolitan’s Head Start Oversight Board, working with Metropolitan Family Services’ Board Chair. In addition, she developed strong and trusted relationships with many DuPage County funders and partners. 

Highly respected by internal and external constituents, Nikki was sought to participate in boards, committees and problem-solving groups across DuPage County and the state of Illinois. That included her role as a governing member of the DuPage County Early Childhood Education Collaborative. Nikki’s expertise also was recognized internally, as a 2018 Metropolitan Employee Awards winner, receiving the Betty Williams Award for Community Efforts. 

Nikki started at Metropolitan in August 2012, serving in various positions including Associate Director of Metropolitan’s Early Learning Programs, School Readiness Director and Quality Assurance Supervisor. Before joining the MFS team, she worked with other Head Start/Early Head Start programs for 11 years. 

Nikki earned a B.A. in Family, Child and Nutritional Sciences from Northern Illinois University, and an M.S. in Early Childhood Education from Roosevelt University. In 2008, she secured a Professional Educator License in Early Childhood Education with a Special Education Endorsement. Nikki also earned ESL Certification from National Louis University in 2017.