Hollie Cost, assistant vice president for University Outreach and Public Service at Auburn University, has been elected chair of the board of directors for the National Issues Forums Institute (NIFI), a nationally recognized, nonpartisan organization dedicated to strengthening democracy through public deliberation.
Cost was elected during the board’s final meeting of 2025 and will help guide the organization in advancing its mission to equip, empower and mobilize people to use deliberation to act for the public good.
At Auburn University, Cost provides strategic leadership for outreach and public service initiatives that connect faculty expertise, research and academic programs with communities across Alabama and beyond. Her work advances Auburn’s land‑grant mission by strengthening partnerships that address real‑world challenges through education, engagement and collaboration.
Cost brings a distinguished record of public service, civic leadership and institutional innovation to the national leadership role. She previously served as a professor of special education at the University of Montevallo before serving on the Montevallo city council and later as a two‑term mayor of Montevallo. During her tenure as mayor, Cost and her teams reimagined traditional town halls into inclusive community deliberations designed to expand civic participation and collaborative problem‑solving.
Those experiences closely align with the National Issues Forums Institute’s long‑standing commitment to nonpartisan, participatory approaches to addressing public issues and strengthening democratic practices.
“I am honored to serve alongside NIFI’s dynamic board members and forward-thinking executive director, Ms. Cristin Brawner, by moving NIFI’s work beyond productive and peaceful dialogue toward bold, transformational community action,” Cost stated.
The NIFI Board of Directors provides strategic oversight and governance for the organization, ensuring its continued focus on promoting meaningful public deliberation and civic action nationwide.
