No day is ever the same at the Center, no matter what role you’re in. As chief of staff, I have oversight for employee experience, staff and organization-wide initiatives, human resources, communications, operations, and board and organizational development. Some of my current work is human development-focused, and I get to support our staff in being more successful. I also get to hear a lot of input and see how a variety of teams work, so it allows me to constantly think about small tweaks and process improvements we can make to continuously support a dynamic, inclusive, and welcoming work environment.
Any time we want to gather our entire staff or Board, you can find me working on the logistics. Our organization has doubled in size during the 10 years I have been around, and I often help with the growing pains and gaps this kind of positive growth brings about. It’s not uncommon for me to see a need and fill it. Sometimes that means baking a cake for a birthday or helping a team I used to be part of.
My background is what I like to call eclectic. I worked my way through college in the call centers and telecom companies of Omaha, which gave me the experience of working with diverse sets of people, helped me learn the ropes of customer service, and provided me with an opportunity to be a supervisor and manager at a young age. During that time, I also worked as a trainer in quality assurance and in client services.
Later, I worked in both inside and outside sales in a telecom company, as well as in local marketing and supporting lobbyists who worked with the first provider to offer broadband in rural communities across Nebraska. After being downsized, I took the opportunity to work from home as a social media and marketing consultant for an online organic foods company for a few years. Then, due to my interest in health coaching and fresh, local foods, I found myself taking a social services role helping clients address food security and other economic programs offered through the state before landing at the Center.
I was studying for the foreign service exam when I met my spouse, who had just finished traveling the world with the U.S. Army. We decided to plant our roots in Nebraska and moved back and forth between urban and rural life before finally settling in my northeast Nebraska hometown.
Rural is a big part of my identity and attitude. Even when I have lived in more urban places, I bring those perspectives and the feeling of connectedness with me. Rural places and systems shape the entire country and are the backbone of this country. We need to protect the viability of rural places and continue to support thriving, rural communities that offer so many opportunities for our youth that are just not found anywhere else.
When I am not working, I enjoy being out in nature, cooking, reading, watching documentaries, writing short stories and poems, and creating collage or “junk” art. I like tending to my plants, propagating, and gardening when I can. I also enjoy spending time with all three of my kiddos and having adventures with them.
Q&A
If you could instantly be good at something, what would it be?
Stand-up comedy.
What is your dream vacation spot?
A wooded area, near a body of water and wide open beautiful spaces.
What book has impacted you the most?
“Tuesdays with Morrie,” by Mitch Albom. Dr. Tom Goutierre, who was dean of International Studies and the Center for Afghan Studies at University of Nebraska at Omaha, made every incoming freshman read this book. It really grounded me in understanding who I was at my core, where I came from, and truly what mattered: that anyone can make a real difference wherever they are. He often sprinkled his lectures with colloquialisms about Maumee, Ohio, the rural place he came from. It made me appreciate my ruralness more.
