Biography: Charles C. Nichols, B.S. '83, M.S '84

Charles C. Nichols

President, Nichols Farms
B.S. '83. M.S '84

Charles Chuck Nichols is a longtime leader of California agriculture and the president of Nichols Farms, one of the largest family-owned pistachio growing, processing and marketing companies in the state.

Nichols comes from a multigenerational farming and Aggie family — his father, wife and eldest son also graduated from UC Davis — and is dedicated to the people and agriculture of the Central Valley.

To provide hands-on experience to students and bring skilled workers to the region, he founded the Central Valley Scholars Program at UC Davis, which provides financial support and internships for students from the valley, helping them start careers and return to the area employed after graduation.

Throughout his career he has regularly partnered with UC Davis, sharing his expertise as an industry leader and his forward-thinking approaches to sustainable agriculture. Nichols served as president of CAAA for two years and as trustee of the UC Davis Foundation.

Nichols has also led the California Pistachio Commission, Tulare County Farm Bureau and Central California Almond Growers Association, and served as a director of the California Farm Bureau Federation’s board of directors.