Meet Nicole Nixon: An Independent Big Data Technology Company CEO

Nicole Nixon was raised by a single father and graduated from Easton High School on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. Despite starting life in Easton, Nicole evolved into a wife, mother of five children and entrepreneur who bravely navigated unfamiliar waters.

 “I met my husband, Parrish Nixon, right out of high school. Parrish, a U.S. Navy veteran, went into active duty right out of high school. Parrish and I have been together for 31 years, and this year, married for 24 years. When I knew I wanted to start my own company, Parrish was the first person to encourage me.”

“I am the founder and CEO of Listing Central, LLC where I launched the first woman-owned nationwide and independent big data technology company, specializing in telecom data management,” said Nicole. “When I launched Listing Central, LLC in 2010, I didn’t know at that time that I was the “first” woman to launch a data technology company that supported the telecom industry. As we started to gain contracts and learn more about our market, it became evident, very quickly, that I was the only woman in this space.”

She added, “As the CEO of a nationwide and independent Big Data technology company, I’m able to develop my own rules on how data should be accessed, secured, and managed for our communities. We also impact so many areas within technology like SaaS [Software as a Service], cybersecurity and database management to name a few.”

 Nicole further explained that Listing Central’s primary focus is to create better privacy and protection options for consumers, children and domestic violence victims over the internet and many other communication platforms.

“Our focus for businesses is to ensure they have valid and secure consumer-approved data to reach the community.”

Nicole’s debut in her field began when she was 23 years old. After needing to secure a good job as a mother of two, she applied to Verizon and was immediately hired by the company as a customer service representative.  

“Within a year, I volunteered for a data technology project that enabled consumers to choose how they wanted their personal information shared with the public. It was during this project that I was named ‘Subject Matter Expert of Consumer Data.’”

While working on the project, Nicole studied extremely hard. No one knew at the time that she suffered from dyslexia. Reading became extremely difficult.  

She said, “I had to constantly read things multiple times for it to make sense, but that didn’t stop me from learning. I never gave up. Then one day, it stuck. I was able to remember what I had read!  It started to make sense, so I kept reading and I kept learning. I then became a SME (Subject Matter Expert).”

Nicole was later hired to establish guidelines for voice customers of Charter Cable (formerly known as Time Warner Cable), so their customers would also have a choice about the access of their personal information to the public. 

She added, “It was in this role that I successfully developed consumer data automation guidelines that covered the entire United States.”

Nicole realized with the launch of the Internet, consumers no longer had a choice on how their personal information was shared with the public. In 2010, she decided to launch Listing Central, LLC to create options that would better protect consumer’s personal information over the internet and every communication platform. 

Today, Nicole feels extremely proud that she became the first woman to be the CEO of a nationwide and independent data technology company specializing in the telecom industry. She was recognized by the Women in Cable Telecommunications Network, a national 10,000-member organization as a “Woman to Watch in Technology” on September 18, 2023.

Cathy Hughes, founder and chairperson of Urban One (formerly Radio One), has been Nicole’s encourager, teacher, confidant and a true supporter. She remarked that she met Hughes over 15 years ago.

Despite being unable to connect with many Black women because there were very few in her field and facing other challenges such as operating in a male-dominated field, Nicole found a silver lining as a barrier breaker.

“I asked myself, ‘Am I built for this?’ I’m happy to say, ‘I am!’”

Visit https://www.listingcentralllc.com to learn more about Listing Central, LLC.