Ronnie is a native of Little Rock, a graduate of Central High School, and the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, with a Bachelor in Art and minor in American History. He has a Masters in Fine Arts from Otis Arts Institute of Los Angeles, California. In addition he is an alumnus of the W.K. Kellogg National Fellowship Program.
For more than 35 years, Mr. Nichols has been involved in the museum field as Director of Audience Development at Arkansas Arts Center and Director of the Delta Cultural Center, Helena, where he proposed building a reconstruction of Civil War era Fort Curtis in 1992. Twenty years later his vision was realized with the new Fort Curtis, in 2012. Nichols was also the Director of the Arkansas Commemorative Commission, which consist of The Old State House Museum and Trapnall Hall, Little Rock. Under his leadership, a $4.5 million renovation project was implemented to the Old State House.
He is proprietor of Nichols Consulting – providing planning, research and technical services in Civil War, Military History and African American History for films, publications, and public programs.