Wake Forest University : Professor of Women's Studies & Adolescent Psychology

A nationally recognized expert on father-daughter relationships, Dr. Nielsen has been teaching, conducting research and writing about adolescents and father-daughter relationships since 1970. A member of Phi Beta Kappa and the recipient of the outstanding graduate's award in teacher education from the University of Tennessee in 1969, she taught high school for several years before earning a Master's Degree in Counseling and a Doctorate in Educational and Adolescent Psychology. She joined the faculty of Wake Forest University in 1974, won the Outstanding Article Award in 1980 from the U.S. Center for Women Scholars, and was awarded a postdoctoral fellowship from the American Association of University Women in 1981.

Since 1991 she has been teaching her "Fathers & Daughters" course - the only college course in the country that focuses exclusively on father-daughter relationships. Her special interest is helping estranged fathers and daughters reunite or strenghthen their relationships. In addition to having written numerous research articles for scholarly journals such as the "Harvard Educational Review" and the "Journal of Divorce & Remarriage", Dr. Nielsen has written three books. How to Motivate Adolescents (Prentice Hall, 1978), Adolescence: A Contemporary View (Harcourt Brace, 3 editions 1990- 1996) and Embracing Your Father: Creating the Relationship You Want with Your Dad (McGraw Hill 2004) which has received outstanding reviews from Publishers Weekly and renowned scholars across the country. She is currently writing her fourth book, Between Fathers and Daughters: Enriching or Rebuilding Your Adult Relationship. (Cumberland House, 2008)

Her research and advice on father-daughter relationships have been featured on a PBS documentary, "Journeys of the Heart " (June, 2005) and on NPR with Frank Stasio (June,2004) as well as in newspapers, magazines and radio shows nationwide, including The Christian Science Monitor, Seventeen, the national PTA magazine, His Side with Glenn Sacks, & The National Divorced Dads Network. Her work is featured on many national organizations' web sites, including Stepfamily Association of America, , National Center for Fathering, National Fatherhood Initiative, Dads & Daughters, Fathering Magazine, Responsible Divorce, Military Wives, Fathers in Touch, and the Center for Succesful Fathering.

2008 - President, American Coalition for Fathers & Children
Dr. Nielsen is President of the ACFC - the largest organization in the country advocating on behalf of shared parenting between divorced or never married fathers and mothers. As a national spokesperson for ACFC, Dr. Nielsen writes: "Having worked on behalf of shared parenting for the past two decades through my teaching and writing, I am honored to serve as ACFC’s President.   By disseminating accurate information from our most recent and most reputable research, I will continue to promote shared parenting. Yes, there are challenges: to break down myths and stereotypes that undermine shared parenting, to change laws and policies that don’t reflect what the research clearly demonstrates is best for children, and to provide more support and encouragement for co-parenting families. Through education and legislation we can remove these barriers and empower parents to remain actively involved in their children’s lives. As our society and our legal system move towards fully accepting the fact that both parents are equally vital to the well-being of their children, we will all benefit."