Bridgette Nielsen

Bridgette Nielsen is a Senior Program Manager at SecondMuse, based in Portland, Oregon, where she leads Headstream, a portfolio of initiatives that advance youth mental well-being through cross-sector collaboration, innovation, and community-centered program design. She oversees strategy, program operations, partnerships, and cross-functional implementation, helping translate ambitious ideas into impactful, scalable programs. Over the course of her time at SecondMuse, Bridgette has led and supported a range of global initiatives at the intersection of innovation and social impact. She previously co-led the NASA Space Apps Challenge, the world's largest annual global hackathon, coordinating operations and community strategy for a worldwide network spanning more than 160 countries and over 100,000 participants annually.

She also contributed to The Rockefeller Foundation's Food System Vision Prize, supporting a global community of innovators working to reimagine equitable and sustainable food systems. Bridgette is known for building strong partnerships, creating systems that enable collaboration, and leading complex, multi-stakeholder programs from strategy through execution. With a background in research and project management, she enjoys bringing clarity to complexity and designing processes that empower people to do their best work. She believes meaningful, lasting impact is created when communities are trusted as partners, diverse perspectives are valued, and programs are built with learning, inclusion, and adaptability at their core.

Outside of work, Bridgette enjoys exploring the Pacific Northwest with her dog, Yuki, whether hiking, camping, or wandering a new trail with an audiobook. She also loves cooking meals to share with friends, experimenting with new recipes, and will happily take any excuse to dance when ABBA comes on.