Nicole Pecku
Nicole Pecku is the President and CEO of Pecku Anchored AFH and Agency, where she operates group homes across Dane and Rock Counties, Wisconsin. In this role, she provides daily living support and skill development services for individuals with special needs, focusing on fostering independence, dignity, and personalized care within a community-based setting. She is also the Lead Consultant at Anchored Consulting and Services, where she guides aspiring providers—particularly from underserved communities—through the process of starting and operating adult family homes and navigating Department of Human Services requirements.
With over 22 years of experience in the healthcare industry, Nicole has built a career centered on advocacy, leadership, and expanding access to quality care services. She is also the author of The Ultimate Guide to Establishing a Profitable Adult Family Home, a resource designed to simplify the process for new providers entering the field. Her educational background includes a Bachelor of Science in Healthcare Administration (2019) and a Master’s in Healthcare Business Management with an emphasis on Organizational Leadership (2024), both from Upper Iowa University.
Nicole is a recognized emerging leader, recently selected for Wisconsin’s 40 Under 40 program. She serves as President-Elect of the Business Forum for Women and sits on the board of Freedom Inc., a nonprofit focused on addressing racial injustice. She is also currently developing the Anchor Her Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to empowering women through mental health support, financial education, and leadership development, reflecting her broader commitment to community impact and women’s advancement.
• Upper Iowa University- B.S.
• Upper Iowa University- Master's
• Wisconsin 40 under 40
• President-Elect for the Business Forum for Women
• Board member of Freedom Inc.
• Home ownership education
What do you attribute your success to?
I am a single parent of three. I have two grown older adult children and a younger child, but really my being grounded in my faith and in my children, I think, is what I would attribute my success to. I think, overall, just the mentality of that as a mom, and then just my faith. Yeah, resilience-based and a commitment to just basically being purposeful and trying to make an impact in my community, and set an example for my children.
What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
First and foremost, whatever you put your mind to, stay focused, stay determined, and go for it. I think it's so important that we get pulled in different areas in our life, and maybe we might be like, oh, I dropped the ball because maybe I had kids, or now I gotta wait. But I think that's the biggest thing I would say to be intentional on. Whatever it is that you're doing, stay focused and driven and determined. But also, just kind of master that thing. Whatever your pattern is, master it. Maybe get mentors, learn about that particular niche, and just kind of keep going after that. Be a life learner. I'm a life learner, so I love to stay in the know and always try to put myself in spaces to do that. Because healthcare in itself is more than just care. It's so much that goes under that. For me as a whole, the passion, the structural compliance, everything that they gotta kind of put together, I think I would tell the next person, whatever it is that you're gonna do, stay focused in that, be driven and keep going, regardless of whatever people might come out with.