Leadership Learning Forum Biography:
Michelle Eledge
I was born in Omaha, NE to Kirk & Cecile Eledge. I am the oldest of three and have two brothers: Dan and Matt Eledge.
My father has always been an educator working in various positions at Gretna High School: Physical Education teacher
and football coach, Athletic Director, and then Principal. My mother stayed home and I still have the fondest memories of
all of the things she would do with us kids. We are a very close family; and to this day, we still honor the Sunday supper
tradition.
I grew up in an old house in South Omaha across from the Henry Doorly Zoo. The window in my room provided a clear
view to the elephant and seal exhibits. Most of my childhood was spent with my brothers and neighborhood friends
outdoors either exploring the wooded areas or riding our bikes around the Union Pacific railroads (if only our parents knew
what we were up to!!) I will always remember the Fourth of July parties my parents would throw and watching the
Rosenblatt fireworks show from our yard.
I was involved in competitive gymnastics and trained at the Cahoy’s Training Center until I was 12. Looking back, I believe
this activity helped me hone my self-discipline and time management skills. My schedule was intense with practices three
times a week up to 3 hours a session. I was allowed to continue with gymnastics only if my grades remained satisfactory
so I would attend school, come home complete my school work, go to practice and then finish any remaining schoolwork
after practice. I would travel on the weekends throughout the state for competitions. Although, the schedule was intense
and I had to often choose between friend’s sleepovers and competition, I loved it. I quit the sport when we moved to
Gretna, Nebraska (a farming community) to begin middle school and began doing other athletics.
After graduating high school, I attended college at Northwest Missouri State University in Maryville, Missouri. I majored in
psychology and minored in Biology. I was heavily active in the Northwest Dance Company, an organization that
performed each semester for the campus. I began choreographing performances my junior year and was elected the
Artistic Director of the organization my senior year. During college, I also worked as a Certified Nurse Assistant (CNA) in
a nursing home. It was here that I learned how much I cherished caring for the elderly and enjoyed hearing about their
lives. I eventually went back to this passion in 2006 and cared for a family friend’s elderly mother a few times a week.
After graduating from college in 2003, I packed the valuables I could fit in my car and the $1000 I had in my bank account
and headed to Phoenix, Arizona with a close friend. We did not have jobs, an apartment, or a plan. I have always been a
planner and to this day, I consider my moving to Arizona to be the most uncharacteristic thing I have done in my life. After
arriving in Arizona, I found an apartment and was employed as a Case Manager for severely mentally ill adults. This was
a pivotal moment in my career as this position helped me understand that my desire to help others was not a fit in the
social work field. I did not have the right personality to sustain the type of work that was required in this position. I stayed
in Arizona for a year and decided to return home to Omaha to be closer to my family.
After returning home, I moved into a town house with one of my best friends from college. It was at this time that I adopted
my dog, Lily May aka “The Goat”. She is a 20 pound Spaniel/Pointer mix that loves to eat everything. And I mean
everything…one News Years I had to take her to the emergency vet as she had eaten and vomited a soda tab, ball of foil,
and a ceramic coffee cup handle. Oh yes, you read that correctly…she really ate a ceramic coffee cup handle. My mom
had one word to say to me during this time…karma.
I began my career at Bellevue University in 2004. My first position was an Enrollment Counselor for Strategic Initiatives
and I was hired by Barb Rivera. She was an exceptional person, manager, and mentor. She passed away unexpectedly
in February of 2008. I still think of her often and her management style. I continued to work in SI in various positions as
an Account Manager, Team Lead, Strategic Enrollment Manager, and Business Analyst. I was also able to take
advantage of Bellevue’s tuition remission program and completed my MA in Communications in 2007.
In March 2010, I moved from Strategic Initiatives to the Project Management Office. As one of my first projects, I assisted
my mentor and boss, Ed Jarecki, in completing Business Process Redesign of our Financial Aid processes. This concept
was new to me and Bellevue University. The opportunity required me to be in new situations that were not in my comfort
zone. It is during this time I found the power of becoming “comfortable with being uncomfortable.” This skill has provided
me with the courage and confidence to tackle things that I would not have dreamt of doing a few years ago (such as
speaking in front of the entire campus!!)
Since then I have worked on several large, complex enterprise projects with up to sixty-plus member teams. It has been
challenging and fun to find ways to motivate these large teams to complete work often in very demanding timeframes. I
have had tremendous learning in understanding how people move through major changes and the importance of
genuinely understanding people’s feelings during this process. The biggest take-away from this experience has been
understanding my role as a leader in owning the reality of change, the impact it has on people, and proactively addressing
it. This often means working with leadership to help deliver messages so employees can understand and feel the power of
their work.
In 2010, I was given the opportunity to complete the Leadership Learning Forum. This learning opportunity provided me
the context to reflect on my natural leadership skills and grow as a professional leader. I now look at challenges and
opportunities with a new perspective. Situations that once may have seemed impossible to solve are now opportunities for
me to grow my own leadership experience. Knowledge is power and having access to other leaders through literature,
networking, and mentors I feel I have built an infrastructure for life-long learning. The possibility of what people can
do…what I can do with this knowledge & understanding motivates and inspires me. It has opened my eyes to an entirely
new way of thinking, learning, reflecting, and living.
In closing, I would like to thank all of the educators, leaders, family, mentors, and friends that have been a part of my
journey so far. I am a firm believer that you can live a life of no regrets if you take the time to reflect and learn from all of
your experiences—good & bad. I have enjoyed the learning and growth opportunities that you have provided me and I
am excited about all of those to come. Thank you, thank you, thank you…