Margaret Nicklas

Margaret Nicklas is a freelance journalist, long-time Austinite, former teacher and government performance auditor. She wrote extensively for The Austin Chronicle during COVID-19 and has had her work published in KUT.org/Texas Standard, the Austin American-Statesman, The Texas Tribune and other outlets. She holds two graduate degrees from the University of Texas at Austin—one in public affairs and one in journalism—and a bachelor’s in linguistics from Georgetown University. Margaret has also worked in the non-profit sector, as a writer, researcher and project manager for the Texas Network of Youth Services and has served as adjunct faculty at Austin Community College in Developmental Writing. She worked as a session analyst for the House Research Organization in 2015 and served as president of a non-profit board in 2022-23. During her auditing years, she served as an Assistant City Auditor for the City of Austin, and the Federal Coordinator for the State Auditor’s Office, among other roles. She joined the Center for Ethical Leadership in Media in January 2025.