The South Florida Institute on Aging has had a long history of empowering seniors, though the organization has operated under different names. Its current name dates from 2018, and CEO and president Nikki Austin-Shipp took over eight months ago to invigorate its culture and worthwhile programs.
Educated at Florida State University, where she earned a B.S. in Finance, Nikki Austin-Shipp parlayed sales, marketing and operations roles into government, where she served as director of community relations for U.S. House of Representatives member Frederica Wilson. When she’s not diving into books that help her “grow as a leader,” such as Jim Collins’ Good to Great, Austin-Shipp has a taste for glamour, from to Cinque Terre, Italy (“the most enchanting place I have ever visited”) to the Porsche brand to Paris Fashion Week: “I was greatly impacted by my parents’ flair for fashion, which you can see in my own vibrant wardrobe. They were both native Floridians but resided in New York and were always impeccably dressed. It is critical to know what to wear where and never to be underdressed or overdressed for any occasion.”
