A graduate of Case Western Reserve University and the University of Wisconsin–Madison, Nichols is a former CEO of CGFNS International, a past president of the Wisconsin Nurses Association and a Living Legend of the American Academy of Nursing.
She worked at Boston Children's Hospital before joining the United States Navy.
[1] From the late 1990s until her retirement in 2011, Nichols was the CEO of CGFNS International, an organization that evaluates educational credentials of graduates of foreign nursing schools.
[5] Nichols has held faculty appointments at the University of Wisconsin–Madison and Excelsior College, and she has served on the board of directors of the American National Standards Institute.
[8] Larry Nichols, Barbara's husband, is a retired employee of the Madison Metropolitan School District.