Nico’Lee Heyl

Nico’Lee Heyl (Biddle) is a Senior Program Analyst with CSSP and primarily works on projects to reform child welfare through class action litigation. She is also a licensed clinician in the state of Pennsylvania (LCSW), where she practices as a mental health therapist with children, families, and adults whose lives have been impacted by experiences of attachment-based trauma. Nico’Lee’s experience includes non-profit child welfare management as well as child welfare workforce and foster parent training related to kinship and trauma-informed care. Nico’Lee has also been an advocate for change in the foster care system and for children impacted by parental substance abuse. She has authored various opinion pieces on re-envisioning foster care that have been published in Teen Vogue, The Imprint, ACF’s Children’s Bureau Express, and Fostering Families Today, and was also featured in the AP News and on NPR’s The Takeaway podcast to discuss potential drawbacks of using predictive algorithms in child welfare decision making. Nico’Lee also serves on the Board of Directors for FosterClub.

Nico’Lee values the idea of incorporating lived expertise in conjunction with professional experience to help children and families find places of safety, healing, and hope — together.

Education and Awards

• Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) in Pennsylvania 
• Master of Social Work, University of Pittsburgh School of Social Work
• Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, Washington and Jefferson College