She joined Kelsey Koelzer as a coaching trailblazer. Koelzer became the NCAA's first Black woman head coach when Arcadia University, a Division III school in Glenside, Pennsylvania, near Philadelphia, hired her in 2020 to lead its first-year women's team.
"I didn't even think about it until it happened and then I was, like, 'Whoa,' that's pretty surreal,' " said Rodgers, who was hired July 14, 2021. "There's definitely a responsibility of trying to educate the hockey culture, to build bridges, and hopefully help people understand more."
At the same time, Rodgers said she has a responsibility to herself "to find my way and become the best coach I can to help young women become better people."
Rodgers coaches forwards and works on in-game situations, skills development and does some recruiting under Dartmouth coach Liz Keady Norton, who coached her for two seasons at Boston University.
"Nina is an excellent addition to our staff," said Norton, who became Dartmouth's coach in May 2021. "She brings a level of passion, competitiveness and enthusiasm that is contagious … Nina has the experience to be a tremendous role model for our players."
Hockey has taken Rodgers across the country, from her home state, where she was a 2014 Minnesota Ms. Hockey finalist, to California, where she played in the Anaheim Lady Ducks program, to New England and back.