Staff Spotlight: Jessie Brophy

East Campus pillars at enterance
Jessie Brophy
Jessie Brophy

About Jessie Brophy 
My left brain loves organization, cultivating logical and sequential solutions to problems, financial and budgetary planning, writing and analytics. My right brain craves creativity, artist flare, holistic thinking, making sure all feelings are accounted for and dreaming up my next “wouldn’t it be great if…”. I suppose that is why event planning comes so naturally to me. Both sides of my brain are constantly at work, battling for dominance.  The perfect qualifications for my position at UNL. Today I may be calculating a budget for a trip across the state with new faculty, tomorrow supervising a dance with 2,500 screaming high school students and next week sharing Dairy Store ice cream with a few external stakeholders. No two days are ever the same. I feel like I have the best job on campus! Did I mention my job involves eating ice cream?

I grew up in Lincoln, which affords me the opportunity to stay close, sometimes a little too close with my parents living just a mile away, to those who matter most to me. I was a Knight (Lincoln Southeast High School), a Husker (B.A. from UNL), and a Tiger (M.A. from Doane College), but my favorite designation is “mom.” 


What is your position at UNL? 

I joined the IANR Vice Chancellor’s office in June of 2014 serving as the event planning manager. I get the pleasure of organizing events, meetings, retreats, trips and parties both on- and off-campus, in Ronnie Green’s front yard and across the state. Additionally, I am the project manager of the Heuermann Lecture series, administrator of several websites and a social media guru wanna-be.


What drew you to UNL?

I have been at UNL for 18 years in a variety of positions in the hospitality fields, including catering, conference services, and event planning and management. What interested me most about joining the IANR team was knowing I would be a small part of something huge. I believe the work being done here matters on a global level and love being nestled between brilliant minds.


What aspect of working in an educational setting do you enjoy the most? 

What I enjoy most about working in an academic setting is the diversity of individuals I get the opportunity to engage with; from youth, to students, to faculty and staff, to community stakeholders and donors, to retired emeriti. I get the opportunity to meet extraordinary and innovative people from across the state, country and world.


What do you consider your greatest achievement? 

My greatest achievement, and something I am continuously striving toward, is cultivating a happy and prosperous life for myself and my family.  Finding and maintaining an healthy balance in all aspects of my life is the hardest thing I do and my greatest accomplishment.


What is something that most people don’t know about you? 

I am a total tech-nerd. I love everything technology and things involving strategy and algorithms. For example, I won the 4th grade chess tournament (the one and only chess tournament I have ever entered) and can solve the Rubik’s Cube in under 3 minutes. Give me a complex problem to solve, and I can stay entertained for hours. I also love Thai food.


What is your life like outside of work? 

Outside of work I am generally wrapped up in a variety of my kids’ activities, not limited to attending art exhibits, watching swimming poolside, cheering for youth sports and watching countless hours of dance and musical theatre performances. Otherwise, you can find me enjoying numerous outdoor activities, behind the lens of my camera, or with my nose in a book.

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