Get to know a fellow member who is on the leadership team for our YoPro Community
A Look at Hannah’s Risk Management Role
Hannah Shelton is a risk analyst for the University of the Pacific in Stockton, California. She’s been an URMIAn for a little over a year and just recently joined the YoPro Community’s leadership team helping plan and facilitate community events, bringing another perspective to the group. Let’s get to know Hannah outside of her risk management role.
Tell us about your path to higher ed risk management. Did you grow up wanting to be a risk manager?
My path to higher ed risk management has been a bit odd – which seems to be the norm for risk management! My undergraduate degree is in communication sciences & disorders because I wanted to be a speech-language pathologist. However, I didn’t want to go to graduate school right away, so I ended up taking a long-term substitute position in a special education classroom. I fell in love with that job and decided to pursue a master’s degree and my teaching credential. As they say, all good things must come to an end, because after six years of teaching, I was ready for a new challenge. I wasn’t sure what that challenge would be until my aunt suggested I apply for a job in the risk management department at the University of the Pacific, where she had worked for several years before retiring a few years prior. I’ve now been in higher ed risk management for about a year and three months, and I certainly found the challenge I was looking for!
What's something you wish more people understood about risk management?
Something I wish more people understood about risk management is that it truly is there to put in place protections for you. I think a lot of colleagues outside of risk management see red tape or extra administrative burden, but there is a reason that these policies and procedures are in place, and ultimately, that reason is to protect people.
If you could work remotely from anywhere for a month, where would you go?
If I could work remotely from anywhere for a month, I would choose Cattolica, Italy. My maternal grandfather’s family was originally from that town before they immigrated to the US in the early 1900s, so I’d love to experience the family history. It’s also a beach town, so working while looking out at the Adriatic wouldn’t be the worst thing I could do for a month.
What's your favorite campus tradition?
My favorite campus tradition is the carillon that plays from our Burns Tower every day at 12:30pm and 9:30pm. A carillon is an instrument that consists of at least 23 cast bronze bells. It plays fun tunes that sometimes relate to Pacific’s history, such as the Indiana Jones theme (for those of you who don’t know, our Faye Spanos Concert Hall is used as the exterior setting for the university where Indy teaches!). The bells are a great reminder when I’m on campus that it’s time to eat lunch if I haven’t yet. I also live close enough to campus that on a quiet night, if I’m still awake, I can hear the 9:30pm bells from my room.
What's something that always makes you laugh?
Something that always makes me laugh is my family. When my mom, dad, older sister, and I get together, there’s a 90% chance that we’ll have at least one tears-rolling-down-your-face-abs-hurting-can’t-breathe laugh session.
Thanks, Hannah, for giving us a peek into who you are beyond your risk management role!
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