Staff Snapshot: Stacie Kotschwar

Staff Snapshot:

Meet some of the researchers and staff members who make PPC such a great place to work! 

For today's staff snapshot, we spoke with Senior Design Specialist, Stacie Kotschwar, who leads our graphic design team.

Q&A with Stacie Kotschwar:   

  • What is something you have learned from your work and collaborations?
    Every project we work on requires a team effort. The success of that project relies on everyone doing their part, thinking, listening, working together, and rising to the occasion. With every collaboration, I gain new appreciation for the skill and dedication of the people I work with. 
     
  • How do you think the Center’s work impacts Nebraskans? 
    Our work touches every county around the state. It’s amazing to see the real-world applications and impact of the work we do and how our work helps to improve communities. One example of this is the Center’s disaster response expertise. After the 2019 floods, when nearby rivers turned Fremont, Nebraska into an island surrounded by floodwaters, members of our team were on the ground to provide guidance in emergency response and helped coordinate volunteer efforts. 
     
  • What is the best advice you’ve ever been given?
    Don’t strive for perfection. Instead, try to learn from your mistakes and focus on ways you can continue to learn and grow. 
     
  • What/who inspires/motivates you?
    Any time I see great work by other agencies or departments, I am inspired to continue to improve my own designs and try new approaches to telling our story and communicating with the public. 
     
  • What is one challenge you have faced in your career and how did you overcome it?
    It was a challenge to be the very first designer on staff at the PPC. I have had to continually evolve and grow my role here at the center and try to think of ways to push our communications and outreach. Over the past three years, I have worked on improving our graphic design capabilities and pushing the envelope of what we can do.