Nikki is of the Diné (Navajo) Nation from Shonto and Blue Gap, AZ, and is of the Towering House Clan, born for the Reed People Clan, maternal grandfathers are of the Water that Flows Together Clan, and paternal grandfathers are of the Manygoats Clan. She is the co-manager of the Institute for Tribal Environmental Professionals (ITEP) Tribes & Climate Change Program and interim assistant director of ITEP whose goal is to strengthen tribal capacity and sovereignty in environmental and natural resource management through culturally relevant education, research, partnerships, and policy-based services. She works across the continental US and Alaska on climate-change adaptation, mitigation, and resilience planning with Tribal/Indigenous partners to assist Tribal Nations in addressing and preparing for climate change impacts. ITEP works in partnership with various federal, nonprofit, academic, and community entities. Nikki has Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Forestry from Northern Arizona University with an emphasis on Traditional/Indigenous Knowledges. Ms. Cooley was one of more than 90 authors for ITEP's 2021 Status of Tribes and Change Change (STACC) report and currently serving as an author for Human Health Chapter of the upcoming fifth National Climate Assessment due to be published in 2023. 

In addition, Nikki is a recovering river guide and cultural educator who worked on the Colorado River-Grand Canyon and San Juan River. She is very passionate about advocating for and education about the protection and preservation of the environment and its resources. Nikki thoroughly enjoys gardening, her Navajo culture, and spending time with her large extended family in the Southwest and Michigan. She speaks and teaches her children and family their Diné language and culture.