Lisa Sherman Nikolaus
Lisa Sherman Nikolaus is the Executive Director of the Tennessee Immigrant & Refugee Rights Coalition. A Guatemalan-American whose family made the difficult decision to leave Guatemala and relocate to Nashville in 2001, Sherman Nikolaus has a deep commitment to fighting for an immigration system where all people can access safety, opportunity, and belonging. She joined TIRRC in October 2015 and served as Policy Director for nearly five years before stepping into the role of Executive Director. Victories under her leadership include defeating dozens of pieces of anti-immigrant legislation at the state legislature, convincing Governor Lee to consent to continue to welcome refugees, and pressuring the Davidson County Sheriff to terminate a rent-a-bed agreement with immigration and customs enforcement. Prior to joining the TIRRC team, she worked in the international human rights field in New York, London, and Senegal. Sherman Nikolaus holds a Master’s degree in Conflict, Security, and Development from the Department of War Studies at King’s College London and is fluent in Spanish and English.