New Hire Spotlight: Kelsey McCormick

Last December, Lawrence University hired Kelsey McCormick as the new project specialist in the Office of the President. McCormick grew up in Darboy, a city just outside of Appleton. She received her bachelor’s degree in environmental policy and planning at the University of Wisconsin–Green Bay in 2015. When asked about her interest in the position, McCormick recalled, “[While working] for the university at Green Bay I thought it would be really cool to be able to work for a university in my career.” She is excited to work in the Appleton area near the city where she grew up.

Project specialist in the Office of the President is a new position. It was created to manage, facilitate and track projects. Examples of projects that McCormick may work on include a presentation for Lawrence’s president, Mark Burstein, and Lawrence’s Sustainability, Tracking, Assessment and Rating System (STARS) report.

McCormick also noted a challenging and exciting part of the position is getting to know key contacts within the university’s different offices. “What I want to see myself do in this role is really be that go-to person for not only the president’s office but also the other offices that function in [Sampson House].” She continued, “I also see myself taking on tasks that the university really wants to pursue but prior to me being here just didn’t have the ability to do. With it being a new position I guess the possibilities are kind of endless.”

McCormick is most excited to work on projects in sustainability for the university. With a degree in environmental policy and planning, work on the STARS report and sustainability tracking connects to her profession and personal interests.

McCormick previously worked at UW–Green Bay in the Office of Student Life and as a resident assistant. She said that one big difference between her past experiences and her new position is working more in administration and having less interaction with students. She hopes her background working with students will bring key perspectives into her new position.

While growing up, McCormick was only familiar with Lawrence from what she could see from College Avenue. McCormick says that one interesting aspect of her new job is “[seeing] all the different offices and how they work together and how unique this campus is with [all the different] types of buildings.” In particular, she commented on the beauty of Sampson House and the Warch Campus Center.

McCormick has been working as project specialist since December. She says, “It’s a very cool experience. [There are] not a lot of positions where you get to work with someone, like President Burstein, who has the opportunity to touch so many different aspects of this institution as a whole. It’s really cool to know that I get to work with people who really get to make a difference on this campus.”