My "Why":

You’ve probably heard that a lot at staff senate meetings. I’ve been a proud senator for the last two years, and now I’m running for Vice President of Internal Affairs to be a voice for all staff on campus. Since its inception just 3 short years ago, the staff senate has done an amazing job of uplifting staff voices, but there are still times when staff perspective is overlooked during the administrative decision-making process. I have been part of the UNL community for 15 years as a student, adjunct faculty, and staff member. My time as a staff member includes service on the committee that developed the staff senate, so I have a history of working with administrators to bring big ideas to fruition in service to staff needs. The staff on this campus are hard-working, dedicated, and deliver the highest quality results no matter the circumstances. I have seen how much can be accomplished when we all work together toward a shared goal and want to realize the full potential of the staff on this campus, and I believe my leadership can help make that happen.

My Platform:

As a member of the executive committee, my top priority will be making this university the best employer in the state of Nebraska. This includes continuing the work already in progress to make salaries and benefits more competitive, especially for Office/Service staff. I would also focus on training for managers to ensure all recruitment, onboarding, and promotion processes are equitable and follow research-based best practices, which is something I have worked on both within my own team and at the university level. We also need to advocate with leaders on this campus to recognize that no matter how high quality our staff is, we cannot keep doing more with less. Experiencing regular budget cuts without examining workloads of remaining staff has produced an untenable situation that is decreasing staff morale and increasing turnover rates. Implementing changes like these can be challenging, but I have a history of cultivating collaborative relationships with campus leaders while holding them accountable. If elected, I will listen to the needs of staff, advocate for their concerns strategically, and call on our university leaders to create real change.