Benjamin Nichols
The data on this page comes from a financial disclosure filed by Benjamin Nichols, who was picked to be: Digital Communications Advisor, Department of Health & Human Services in June, 2025. It is part of a collection of thousands of ethics documents ProPublica has been collecting from across the Trump administration.
Roles Outside Government
Officials are required to disclose paid or unpaid positions they hold or recently held outside the federal government, including roles as officer, director, trustee or employee. (Form 278e, Part 1)
| Organization | Position held | Endnote | Line No. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Active Engagement | Account Manager, 9/2022 - 8/2023 | 1 |
Employment Assets
Officials are required to disclose assets associated with their employment, including salary, retirement accounts, stocks, intellectual property and awards or prizes. (Form 278e, Part 2)
| Description | Value | Income | Income Type | Endnote | Line No. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Active Engagement 401(K) Plan | In addition to the reported underlying holdings, this 401K holds additional diversified mutual funds below the reporting threshold. | 1 | |||
| Vanguard 500 Index Fund Admiral Shares (VFIAX) | $1,001 - $15,000 | None (or less than $201) | 1.1 | ||
| Vanguard Total Intl Stk Index Fd Adm | $1,001 - $15,000 | None (or less than $201) | 1.2 | ||
| Convergence Media LLC Retirement Plan | 2 | ||||
| VG Target Ret 2065 Inv SAEN | $1,001 - $15,000 | None (or less than $201) | 2.1 |
Employment Agreements
Officials are required to disclose agreements relating to other jobs, including what will happen with any small businesses they own during government service and any continued health care coverage, planned leaves of absence, severance or bonuses. (Form 278e, Part 3)
| Organization | Agreement | Endnote | Line No. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Active Engagement | I continue to participate in this defined contribution plan. The plan sponsor ceased making contributions at my separation. (2022-10-01) | 1 | |
| Convergence Media | I continue to participate in this defined contribution plan. The plan sponsor ceased making contributions at my separation. (2023-10-01) | 2 |
Other Assets and Income
Officials are required to disclose other assets and sources of investment income belonging to them, their spouse or their dependent children. These include annuities, bonds, cash, college savings plans, farms, precious metals, real estate, stocks, trusts and wills. (Form 278e, Part 6)
| Description | Value | Income | Income Type | Endnote | Line No. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US bank Account (Cash) | $1,001 - $15,000 | $201 - $1,000 | Dividends Interest | 1 | |
| Investment account | Investment Account holds additional stocks but they fall below the reporting threshold. | 2 | |||
| Apple, Inc. (AAPL) | None (or less than $1,001) | None (or less than $201) | 2.1 | ||
| Amazon.com, Inc. (AMZN) | $1,001 - $15,000 | None (or less than $201) | 2.2 | ||
| Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) | None (or less than $1,001) | None (or less than $201) | 2.3 | ||
| Nvidia Corp. (NVDA) | $1,001 - $15,000 | None (or less than $201) | 2.4 |
Liabilities
Officials are required to disclose their liabilities totaling more than $10,000, as well as any linked to their spouse or dependent children. These include mortgages, credit card debt and student loans. The interest rates and loan repayment terms are also required. (Form 278e, Part 8)
| Creditor | Description | Endnote | Line No. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Earnest | type: Student Loan, amount: $50,001 - $100,000, year-incurred: 2021, rate: 6.76%, term: 8 YR. 7 MO. | 1 |
About the Data
Most political appointees and senior officials in the executive branch are required by law to file public financial disclosure reports. These are documents that detail their financial holdings, positions they hold outside government, their spouse’s holdings, their liabilities and their recent financial transactions (such as buying or selling stock) during a defined reporting period.
The most senior officials file their disclosures with an agency called the Office of Government Ethics, and others file them with a designated ethics official within their agency. The Ethics in Government Act allows members of the public and the press to request these documents.
We’re publishing this information to give the public an important glimpse into the financial ties of a powerful and often hidden cadre of presidential appointees within the federal bureaucracy.
The main document type included in the database is the OGE Form 278e, which appointees must file when they are nominated (for Senate-confirmed appointees) or when they enter government (all others), and then annually while in the position. Another common document included is the OGE Form 278-T, also known as a periodic transaction report, which all public filers must submit within 30 days of a transaction. We are also making other ethics documents available, such as ethics agreements, certificates of divestiture and other documents we have obtained under the Ethics in Government Act.
