Dr. Nickerson came to Parker after having served as President of United Theological Seminary, Dayton, Ohio, one of thirteen United Methodist Seminaries in the U. S. Previously he served as Senior Pastor at Central United Methodist Church in Downtown Phoenix. Organized in 1870, Central is the oldest Protestant Congregation in Arizona.
Dr. Nickerson began his ministry as the pastor of several United Methodist Churches in Michigan before being appointed to the position of Director of Research Design for the United Methodist General Board of Higher Education and Ministry in Nashville, Tennessee. This board relates the United Methodist Church to its 103 colleges and 13 seminaries.
In 1986, Dr. Nickerson was appointed to serve as the Program Director and Director of Congregational Development for the Desert Southwest Conference of the United Methodist Church based in Phoenix, AZ. During his five years as Director of Congregational Development he was responsible for the program that initiated 23 new churches in Arizona and southern Nevada.
He graduated magna cum laude from Michigan State University with a Bachelor of Arts, received a Master of Divinity from United Theological Seminary, a Master of Arts in Urban Geography from Miami University of Ohio and a Ph. D. in Historical Geography from Syracuse University.
Dr. Nickerson served eight years on the General Commission on Archives and History, on the Arizona State Department of Education's Values and Education Task Force and the Phoenix Citizens Committee for a Master Plan for South Mountain Park. He has also taught summer graduate courses at Pacific School of Religion in Berkeley, California and has worked as a consultant in strategic planning with several non-profit organizations. He enjoys hiking with his wife Ti, music, and maps.