Nina Tickaradze `96 is a marketing professional, serial entrepreneur, human rights advocate, and passionate humanitarian — a powerful combination of skills that took root when she was a student at Brevard College 25 years ago. After completing an Associate’s degree at Brevard, Nina earned a Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communications and a Bachelor of Science in Biology from Emory & Henry College in Virginia. Married to her sweetheart for almost 20 years, Nina is the mother of three children and currently resides in Marietta, GA.
For the past 14 years, Nina has led the marketing department at Hall Booth Smith, P.C., one of the fastest-growing law firms with 27 offices across the United States. She is also the Founder and CEO of NADI, a startup that makes all-natural rosehip juice and dried apple chips. NADI is a social venture that creates jobs for displaced refugees in her native country of Georgia, and each sale of NADI products helps those refugees rebuild their lives and gain economic opportunities.
Since Nina immigrated to the United States as a teenager to play competitive tennis and advance her education, Nina has been passionate about international exchanges that promote stronger cultural, business, and humanitarian ties between countries.
While attending Brevard, Nina was inspired and supported by professors and students from all over the world who encouraged her to speak her mind and pursue her ambitions. That worldview prompted Nina to establish the Georgia to Georgia Foundation (GA2GE), which focuses on humanitarian, education, and business ties between the United States and her home country. She also helped establish and serves as a Co-Chair of the Atlanta-Tbilisi Sister City Committee, where she is engaged in hosting delegates and cultural exchanges.
Nina credits Brevard College for helping shape her into an independent woman, entrepreneur and business leader who is also driven to support humanitarian causes when others are suffering. She chose Brevard in part because then-President of Brevard Thomas Bertrand visited Georgia and met her family; and he was a great supporter of Georgia and suggested that Nina would enjoy the liberal arts education of a school like Brevard.
“My experience at BC helped open my eyes to the possibilities of starting my own business and creating a social venture. Every teacher wanted you to lead and gain rich experiences inside and outside of the classroom. I was always able to speak my mind, which made me confident in my voice,” Tickaradze said. “They were the best years of my life. People I met and the friends I made were so unique and special. I met people from all over the world.”
Nina shares this advice for current students and recent graduates who are charting their career paths: “You have to be passionate, but you don’t have to do everything today. Take the time and freedom to explore. Take your time to learn, try new opportunities, and then decide.”