Nikki Salladay Talks Strong Women, Leaning into Ministry

Standing in your truth and who you are takes courage and emotional intelligence. No one knows this better than Nikki Salladay, our Regional Disaster Officer. “I have been called intimidating. There are often situations where I think if a male spoke in the same way, it would be called direct. But I’m intimidating,” said Nikki. “I’ve been in situations where I could allow myself to be silent, but I don’t. I choose not to. It’s not who I am. I show up as myself, and if you like me- great. If you don’t- as long as we can get stuff done, I’m okay. I think most of us hope we are liked and appreciated, but at the end of the day, it’s more about serving our communities than it is about ‘do you like me.”

Nikki comes from a family of helpers, with most of them going into the medical field. She found her passion in ministry when she was 16 years old. Nikki ran the Red Cross club at Butler High School in Louisville and worked in churches most of her life, helping with community outreach and youth programs. Nikki received her bachelor’s degree from Indiana University Southeast and a master’s in Christian Education from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. She coordinated the Red Cross blood drives at her church every 56 days.

Nikki became a Disaster Program Manager (DPM) after moving to Michigan. “Take a passion, take an ability to be relatively calm under pressure, see the world like a puzzle, while also taking the years I’ve managed volunteers and combine those together,” she said. “There’s so much that comes into this for my faith… A background of compassion, forgiveness, and washing one another’s feet. The servant mentality coincides perfectly.”

Moving back to Kentucky 4 years ago, Nikki became our Senior DPM and promptly transitioned into her current role. It wasn’t just a new job, volunteers, and staff to get to know. “Within those years we had multiple natural disasters that devastated the state,” said Nikki. “You experience every heightened emotion during a disaster. Sometimes it’s just about holding on and doing the best you can. Find pockets of hope.” 

She is proud she can boost the voices of female leaders. “I love the Red Cross for that reason, because there are a lot of women in leadership. Looking at our division disaster executives- 4 out of the 6 are women. We work so hard to involve all genders and lean into diversity,” said Nikki. The field of emergency management is still heavily male dominant, however. “That has been an interesting world to navigate. I had 12 counties, only two of them had female emergency managers. 98% of fire chiefs are males.”

“I’m most proud of the people around me. Whether it’s staff or a volunteer. When people feel confident to step into their own. When they feel like they have done a good job. When I’ve been a part of developing and encouraging them,” said Nikki.

Nikki has been married to Adam for 16 years. Their hobbies include hosting game nights with friends, going hiking, and spending time with their fur baby, Mira. #WomensHistoryMonth