ABOUT NICOLE
Nicole has served the residents of Senate District 6 since being elected in 2016. During her time in the legislature, she has been a passionate advocate for our state’s most vulnerable communities, sponsoring legislation to protect senior citizens from elder abuse, crack down on domestic violence offenders, and eliminate barriers for disabled veterans to obtain medical treatment. Nicole authored the bill to raise teacher pay in Clark County by almost 20% and added $2.2 billion to our state’s K-12 education budget, all without raising taxes. When it comes to protecting reproductive health care, nobody will fight harder to protect these private medical decisions than Nicole. No matter the issues, Nicole will always fight for Nevadans. The majority of Nicole’s bills have been passed with bipartisan support and have been signed by both Democrat and Republican Governors. In 2019, Nicole became the first woman elected to the position of Majority Leader of the State Senate in Nevada’s history.
Nicole Cannizzaro was born and raised in Las Vegas. A lifelong Nevadan, Nicole’s parents came to Las Vegas to work in the hotels and casinos and were proud members of Culinary Workers Union Local 226. Growing up, Nicole’s family didn’t have a lot of money, but her parents constantly reminded her about the value of finishing her education. They strongly encouraged her to pursue higher education after graduating high school, an opportunity that neither of them had.
Nicole is a product of Nevada’s public K-12 and higher education systems. She graduated from Chaparral High School and earned a Guinn Millennium Scholarship to attend college. Like many other Nevadans, without that scholarship program and low in-state tuition rates, higher education would have been out of reach for her. Nicole earned a Bachelor’s in Business Administration from the University of Nevada, Reno.
Following college, she moved back to Las Vegas, where she earned her law degree from the UNLV Boyd School of Law. Upon graduation, Nicole began her legal career in private practice with a focus on civil litigation.
Nicole ultimately decided to pursue public service and joined the Clark County District Attorney’s Office in 2011 where she remained until 2022. Over the years, Nicole has handled hundreds of cases, ranging from overseeing juvenile matters to handling cases of child abuse, sexual assault, homicide, and other violent crimes. She’s been an advocate for victims, a partner for law enforcement, and has helped make Clark County a safer place to live.
Nicole is married to her husband, Nate Ring. They live in northwest Las Vegas with their three sons, dog, and cat.