Before joining the department, Nimke taught in the Graduate Directing Program at Western Illinois University. He has also taught at Saint Cloud State University in Minnesota and at Viterbo College in LaCrosse, Wisconsin. In addition to academic theatre, he has served as a director and been responsible for casting the acting company for Summer Music Theatre in Macomb, Illinois. He has also directed and served as associate artistic director for Theatre L’Homme Dieu in Alexandria, Minnesota. Nimke received a Bachelor of Science degree in Speech and Theatre from the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh and a Master of Fine Arts degree in Stage Direction from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.