Meet Nicole
Nicole was raised on a dairy farm in the local community of Chilliwack and was a part of her parents’ family-owned retail dairy store since she was 7 years old. At 22 she managed her family’s retail sports store and at 25, Nicole started her first business in the hospitality industry doing sales and marketing for hotels in different markets throughout BC and Alberta.
Other entrepreneurial adventures include contract work for employment programs, on-line vacation home rentals, restaurant owner of an upper casual restaurant, and a temporary to permanent employment staffing agency. Nicole has worked closely with Community Futures South Fraser for over 6 years.
For the past four years, Nicole has had the privilege of serving on Chilliwack City Council, work she cares deeply about. She is passionate about the city, the people who call it home, and the opportunities to continue building a strong, connected, and vibrant community. For Nicole, public service has always been about people first—listening, showing up, asking questions, and making thoughtful decisions that reflect the needs of the community. Community is at the heart of everything she does, and serving on Council has only strengthened her commitment to being a consistent, engaged, and hardworking voice for Chilliwack.
Nicole is very passionate about building community as well as helping entrepreneurs grow and develop their business. She is also deeply rooted to the Rotary Club of Chilliwack allowing her to give back to the community that has given her so many opportunities.
"I love this city, and I believe in its strength of community to provide, support, and progress"
Nicole Huitema Read
Nicole's Community Experience
Chilliwack City Council
Boards & Committees 2022 - 2026
1. Affordable Housing and Development Advisory Committee
2. Chilliwack Arts and Cultural Centre Society Board
3. Chilliwack Community Advisory Board
4. Chilliwack Economic Partners Corporation Board
5. Chilliwack Healthier Community
6. Fraser Valley Regional District Board
7. Fraser Valley Regional Hospital Board
8. Fraser Valley Regional Library
9. Heritage Advisory Committee
10. Public Art Advisory Committee
11. Public Safety Advisory Committee
12. Housing First Task Team
Chilliwack Rotary Club of Chilliwack
1. Board of Directors – 2020-2022 Club Service and Club Administration Director. Oversaw Rotary Service Building operation and maintenance, member services, programs, Club meeting organization and move to virtual and eventually hybrid model, and fellowship events
2. Rotary Foundation Chair – lead, plan and organize events for fundraising and promotion of Rotary’s Charity. Arrange annual giving campaigns and implement monthly marketing campaigns for Foundation First Friday
3. Climate Action Committee – member of the team that works on promoting and providing solutions for local residents to engage in climate action initiatives working towards the net zero initiative
Chilliwack Healthier Community
1. Poverty Reduction Task Team – 2017-2018 Projects included living wage initiatives, food security programs, government collaborations for local community organizations
2. Transportation Innovations Focus Group
3. Communications – developed strategies during the implementation of Chilliwack Healthier Community to create awareness for the work that was happening in Chilliwack on social issues
4. Mental Health Awareness Task Team - Coordinated lunch and learn series and train the trainer program for healthy workplaces
5. City Wide Gardening Project – initiated community garden project discussions with local service organizations, entrepreneurs, and the City of Chilliwack. Piloted the Garden Box to Table program with Chilliwack Bowls of Hope to teach low-income families how to garden and prepare meals with the foods they have grown
Ann Davis Transition Society
1. Board Member 2017-2020
Chilliwack Economic Resource Network
1. Project lead for Workforce Initiatives – led a team to develop a series of 60 workshops for the community covering diversity, equity and inclusion, culture in the workplace, social media marketing strategies, generational divides in the workplace, Indigenous culture, recruiting and retention strategies, the importance of philanthropy
2. Entrepreneurship development – provide one on one consultations in business planning, cash flow planning, marketing strategies, business strategy advisory, succession planning
3. Business attraction and retention initiatives – community business walks
4. Business continuity planning
5. Disaster recovery planning