DR. ED NICHOLS: Madison’s former school district superintendent is taking decades full of life lessons to the next chapter in helping others

Dr. Edwin Nichols may have stepped away from Superintendent of Madison City Schools, but he is not stepping away from community service. Now, he is dedicating the skills and talents he developed after a nearly 40-year career in education to volunteering and as COO of Leadership Greater Huntsville.

Community service is a lifelong commitment for Nichols, something a few good mentors in his 38 years in education inspired him to do.

“When I was a young teacher, I was blessed to have great mentors. One of my first mentors was Dr. Al Covington, the principal of the first school that I taught at, and then, Mr. Burl Whitson was the principal that I had when I first moved to Alabama and then Dr. Byron Nelson was my superintendent. And the one thing I remember about the three of them as a young teacher was their involvement in the community,” Nichols said.

His mentors were all members of their local Rotary and Kiwanis Clubs, inspiring him early in his career to get involved.

Following in his mentor’s footsteps, Nichols has been a long-time Rotarian. He started in 1996 in Decatur and became a founding member of Decatur’s second Rotary Club, the Rotary Club of Decatur Daybreak. He served as president of Decatur Daybreak from 1998-1999. Later, he joined the Rotary Noon Club of Decatur where he also served a term as president.

When he came to Madison in 2020 to take on the role of Superintendent of Madison City Schools, he brought his commitment to community service with him. Since moving to Madison, he has supported the Madison Chamber Commerce, the Huntsville Art Museum, Madison Rotary Clubs, Main Street Madison, the Huntsville Symphony Orchestra, and more.

“When we moved to Madison, I looked forward to getting involved,” he said.

He continued his Rotarian membership by joining the Rotary Club of Madison. Like Decatur, the club became large enough to support additional clubs, and Nichols became the founding president of the Rotary Club of MadCity.

He has been a big supporter of the Rotary Club’s youth initiatives and a strong force behind the Rotary Youth Leadership Awards, which fosters leadership, communication, and problem-solving skills in participants ages 14-30.

“Anytime we can support youth through the Rotary youth leadership program, that has been something I’ve enjoyed,” said Nichols.

He has also supported international projects in Mexico and Honduras and local projects that provided new American flags to Madison schools.

“Whether it was a local project like that or something on a broader scale, I’ve always found that I enjoyed helping to support those projects,” said Nichols.

Nichols is also a big supporter of downtown Madison. When Main Street Madison was formed in the fall of 2025, he was glad to have the opportunity to join the organization as a board member.

“I’ve always been a person that likes the downtown,” said Nichols. “I just think the uniqueness of a community revolves around small businesses downtown. To me, those are the backbone of a community, and that has been true in every community that I have lived in.”

Nichols serves as chair of the Promotions Committee where he helps with execution of events like at the recent Taste of Downtown Block Party.

“My goal on that day was to get there early and help put up tables and chairs,” he said.

He is also serving a second term on the Huntsville Symphony board of directors. His love of music that stemmed from his childhood and college band days led him to the Huntsville Symphony. This year, he chaired the Programs Committee where he led the symphony in selecting the concert series pieces.

“We are blessed to have a wonderful musical symphony, just a top-notch group that provides such a wide program,” said Nichols. “I’d been on the program committee, but to actually have a part in helping to look at what the concert series selections would be – that was really exciting.”

In addition to his current roles with the Rotary Club, Main Street Madison, and the Huntsville Symphony, Nichols recently took on a new role as Chief Operating Officer of Leadership Huntsville.

“I am excited and honored to join the Leadership Greater Huntsville team,” Nichols said. “As a graduate of a Leadership Greater Huntsville program and a Legacy member, I have experienced firsthand the tremendous value LGH brings to our community.”

He is a graduate of Leadership Huntsville’s Flagship Class 35 and Leadership Alabama’s Class XXIV, and is adding inspiring, uniting, and developing North Alabama leaders to his retirement to-do list.

Recently, as part of his new role, he visited Boaz City Schools, Thomasville City Schools in Thomasville, Georgia, and Arab City Schools to mentor up-and-coming leaders in education. In his new role, he is channeling his experience teaching and leading school districts to inspire leaders in North Alabama schools and beyond.

Nichols and his family have planted their roots in Madison, and he intends to stay in Madison and continue his involvement in the community in his retirement. The melting pot of new residents and welcoming disposition of current residents made it easy for Nichols to get involved in the community and make Madison home.

“I think that Madison as a whole has this thought and idea and vision of new people moving in, and that’s not a bad thing because there’s so many of us that have moved in,” he observed. “People want your feedback. They want you involved. They want you to be a part.”

In the future, he looks forward to the Rotary Club expanding its youth programs, Main Street Madison adding businesses to downtown, and continuing to support local music at the Huntsville Symphony. He also looks forward to spending time at Trash Pandas baseball games, practicing dobro and steel guitar, and playing golf.

So, although Nichols’ service to Madison City Schools has come to a close, his service to and love for the city he calls home is just starting a new chapter.