About You
I grew up in Beatrice, Neb. and was an active 4-H member for 10 years in Gage county. Sewing, fashion show, baking, and home décor were my focus in 4-H. My love for sewing and design were realized through a number of opportunities in 4-H, which is what ultimately led me to UNL. I received a bachelors in Education and Human Sciences from the department of Textiles, Merchandising, and Fashion Design at UNL in 2006. During my time on East Campus, I was an active resident and officer in Love Memorial Hall. I received a Master of Arts degree in Textiles, Clothing and Design (with an emphasis in entrepreneurship) from UNL in 2011. While Extension was not my first official job out of college, it certainly has made a lasting impression. I started my Extension career as an Extension Assistant in 4-H Youth Development in Buffalo County. After three years commuting from Grand Island to Kearney, my husband and I decided we wanted to move closer to home. So, I transitioned to a similar Extension Assistant role in Fillmore County. After three years there, I accepted a 4-H Youth Development Educator position in York County. And, just this past January, I accepted the new position of Engagement Zone Coordinator after four years in York County. In total, I have been with Nebraska Extension for 10 years and the time has really gone by fast! We currently reside in Geneva and have lived here for seven years. My husband, Todd, and I have two little boys. One will be starting Kindergarten in the fall and the other just turned two this summer. I consider myself a maker, entrepreneur, Husker sports fan, and baking enthusiast.
What is your position at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln?
As mentioned earlier, I recently accepted the new position of Engagement Zone Coordinator in Zone 10. The counties in this zone are Adams, Webster, Clay, Nuckolls, Thayer, Fillmore, Saline, and Jefferson. In this role, I get to support Extension professionals in all stages of their careers, build stakeholder connections in the eight-county area, and be the catalyst for deeper relationships between UNL and local Nebraska communities.
What drew you to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln?
As an educational institution, UNL is a major part of my family’s story. My parents both attended UNL, along with my paternal grandfather and a number of my aunts and uncles. As a student at the University, I always thought it would be cool to work for UNL someday and give back to a place that is so special to me and my family. Ultimately, my love for 4-H drew me to Nebraska Extension and the timing of an open position in the Kearney area was what brought me to employment with UNL.
What aspect of working in an educational setting do you enjoy the most?
I have always enjoyed helping kids find their spark. Watching them learn in real time and to be someone who introduces them to new concepts in life is what I enjoy most about working in educational setting.
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
There are a number of things that I would say I am proud of in my life - my 4-H achievements stand out as a milestone; certain design awards I received in college; state and national awards for my Extension work over the years. All of these things took hard work and dedication and are things that I am still sometimes surprised that I earned. In that same spirit, running my first-ever 5K in just over 30 minutes last year is something I never thought I would do. I’m not sure that I can narrow down a greatest achievement, but I certainly have more things that I want to accomplish.
What is something that most people don’t know about you?
Many people know that I met my husband, Todd, at UNL. He lived in Burr Hall and I lived in Love Memorial Hall. What you may not know is that my parents also met on East Campus, my dad lived in Burr Hall and my mom lived in Love Memorial Hall. To take this parallel universe one step further, my husband and my dad also share the same birthday, which I did not know until my husband and I had been dating for a while.
What is your life like outside of work?
Learning and growing with our two small boys has been our focus for the last five years. As a family, we enjoy being outside, traveling, game nights, and movie nights. I enjoy giving back to our local community and serving in volunteer roles as needed. I sing in our church’s praise band and in the winter, I serve as an assistant speech coach for Fillmore Central. My husband and I also own a small traveling clothing boutique that takes us to small towns across the state on the weekends.