Nick earned a Master’s Degree in Exercise Science with a clinical/cardiopulmonary concentration from Appalachian State University.  During graduate school, he held a graduate assistantship in cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation as well as an assistantship with Be Active North Carolina, a preventative health and wellness initiative funded by Blue Cross and Blue Shield.

His graduate research was focused on exercise and cardiovascular risk factors among overweight adolescents and he helped to start the Adfit program, an ongoing summer program for overweight adolescents focusing on exercise and nutritional education. He received his undergraduate degree in Exercise Science from Lipscomb University in Nashville, TN.  Before working for RLI, he worked as an exercise specialist for High Point Regional Health Systems in North Carolina.