Les Nichols Bio

Les Nichols has been active the field of child protection involving youth-serving organizations (YSO) for over 25 years. He is the former National Vice President of Child Safety for Boys & Girls Clubs of America (National Headquarters). In this role he developed the core child protection resources and strategies still used today by one of the nation’s largest and most respected youth-serving organizations, serving 4.6 million school-age children. In 2016 Mr. Nichols entered private practice as a child safety-security consultant to YSOs and expert witness in child injury cases involving YSOs.

Mr. Nichols has authored or contributed to over 40 publications addressing child protection within organizations including: Extreme Violence: Understanding & Protecting People from Active Assailants, Hate Crimes & Terrorist Attacks; Recommended Guidelines and Practices: Background Screening in Youth Serving Organizations, 3rd Ed; Maryland Guidelines and Best Practices for the Design, Assessment and Modification of Physical Facilities and Spaces to Reduce Opportunities for Child Sexual Abuse; Staff Screening Toolkit, 3rd Ed; and Preventing Child Sexual Abuse within Youth-Serving Organizations: Getting Started with Policies and Procedures. Mr. Nichols is a member of the National Coalition for the Prevention of Child Sexual Abuse & Exploitation, The International Association of Professional Security Consultants, ASIS International, and the International CPTED Association.