{"id":2920,"date":"2022-03-29T00:00:42","date_gmt":"2022-03-29T00:00:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.truman.edu\/commspotlight\/?p=2920"},"modified":"2022-03-01T21:40:12","modified_gmt":"2022-03-01T21:40:12","slug":"hill20220329","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.truman.edu\/commspotlight\/2022\/03\/29\/hill20220329\/","title":{"rendered":"Jessica Hill"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"

Jessica Hill (2022)<\/p><\/div>\n

Jessica Hill is the Executive Director of the Safe House for Women<\/a>, a non-profit domestic violence services agency located in Cape Girardeau, MO. She graduated magna cum laude from Truman. in 1999 with a degree in Communication<\/a> and a minor in Public Administration<\/a>. She also received her Master\u2019s degree in Non-Profit Management from Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, OK in 2003.\u00a0 Jessica began her career in the Oral Roberts University Office of Public Relations. She has also worked as a Resource Specialist for the Community Service Council<\/a> in Tulsa and a Volunteer Program Administrator for the City of Tulsa<\/a>. Prior to being named to her current position, she served as Development Director of the Safe House, and originally served as a member of their Board of Directors. Jessica lives in Cape Girardeau with her husband Jason, who is Senior Pastor of Cape Church of the Nazarene<\/a>.\u00a0 They have two children, Jacob and Caitlin.<\/p>\n

What year did you graduate and what was your concentration?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

I graduated in 1999, and my concentration was Communication<\/a> Science.<\/p>\n

What extra-\/co-curricular activities did you do?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

I did a bit.\u00a0 I was the student representative to the Truman Board of Governors<\/a>, I completed the Missouri Government Internship Program<\/a>, I was a Student Senator<\/a>, a member of Omicron Delta Kappa<\/a> (chapter President), a Student Ambassador, and I was a Missouri Hall<\/a> Student Advisor.<\/p>\n

\"\"

Jessica (center) at her Oath of Office ceremony, joining the Truman Board of Governors (1998).<\/p><\/div>\n

Did you go to grad school? If so, where?\u00a0 Was it immediately after you left Truman or did you wait?\u00a0 Why?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Yes, I earned a Master of Management in Non-Profit Management from Oral Roberts University (ORU) in 2003.\u00a0 I graduated from Truman in December \u201999 and started my master\u2019s in August \u201900 so essentially, I went immediately.\u00a0 I knew I wanted to pursue a career in non-profits, so I went straight to grad school to learn more about the field.<\/p>\n

What was your first job after graduation?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

I was the Assistant Director of Public Relations at ORU for three years while I was in grad school.<\/p>\n

What work do you do\/What are you doing now?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

I am the Executive Director of the Safe House of Southeast Missouri<\/a>, an agency that serves victims of domestic violence in Cape Girardeau.\u00a0 I\u2019ve been in this position for 7 years.<\/p>\n

\"\"

Jessica (center w\/ scissors) cutting the ribbon for the opening of Safe House’s new shelter (2019).<\/p><\/div>\n

How has your Liberal Arts\/COMM education helped you?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

I use the knowledge I gained as a Communication major at Truman every day.\u00a0 I have worked in higher ed, municipal government, and nonprofit settings, and my communication skills have always been applicable and highly sought after.\u00a0 No matter what sector I\u2019ve worked in, my ability to handle public relations, media relations, community outreach, fundraising, grant-writing, etc. have always been valued.<\/p>\n

Which class did you dislike at the time you took it, but now you\u2019re grateful you took it?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Communication:\u00a0 I remember taking Public Relations<\/a> and thinking, \u201cI\u2019m never going to use this,\u201d and then I wound up getting a PR job straight out of school.<\/p>\n

Other: My all-time least favorite class was Introduction to Linguistics<\/a>.\u00a0 I thought it would be really interesting, but I wanted it to be a prescriptive approach of \u201ccorrect\u201d language and grammar and Dr. Shapiro<\/a> was adamant that it was simply an observational approach.<\/p>\n

What was your greatest accomplishment at Truman?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Serving on the Board of Governors<\/a> and interning in Governor Carnahan\u2019s office<\/a> will always be significant accomplishments to me, not only as part of my Truman experience, but in my life as a whole.<\/p>\n

\"\"

Jessica (left) with Governor Carnahan and another intern at his inaugural ball (1997).<\/p><\/div>\n

Why is Truman a good place for a student to study?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Everyone should go to Truman!\u00a0 The liberal arts curriculum, focus on whole-person education, and encouragement toward lifelong learning have stayed with me long after graduation.\u00a0 The campus is beautiful, the community is charming, the professors are top-notch, and studying alongside high-caliber students really does impact your education.\u00a0 Plus, grad school will be a breeze after Truman, and that\u2019s not an overstatement!\u00a0 Oh, also, I met my husband at Truman!<\/p>\n

What would you say a COMM student should absolutely<\/u> do while at Truman?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Get involved with the Communication organizations<\/a>, make time for an internship<\/a>, and pursue the opportunities in the communication offices at Truman \u2013 public relations, alumni relations, admissions, etc.\u00a0 Those experiences helped me to break into the field following graduation, and today when I\u2019m hiring new graduates, I look closely at their student work experience and extracurricular activities. Lastly, learn some basic graphic design skills.<\/p>\n

\"\"

Jessica (1st row, 2nd fr right) hanging out with friends during the holidays (1999).<\/p><\/div>\n

What advice would you give someone who wants to go into the same line of work as you?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Every job I\u2019ve had since my first entry-level position came through networks and connections, so get out there and meet people doing the work you\u2019re interested in.\u00a0 For non-profit work specifically, I do recommend a Master\u2019s degree in Public Administration or Non-Profit Management.\u00a0 This is a unique sector, and there is much to learn that differs from private-sector business or government entities.<\/p>\n

What do you miss most about campus\/Kirksville?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

I still have family that lives in Kirksville<\/a> and I\u2019ve been a member of both the Alumni Board and the Foundation Board, so I\u2019ve been back to campus often over the years!\u00a0 The quad in the fall is my absolute favorite.<\/p>\n

What tag line would you create for the COMM department at Truman?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

“Communicators always.\u00a0 Bulldogs forever.”<\/p>\n

If you could come back to Truman and teach a class for a semester, what would be its title and what would it be about?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Transformational Communication \u2013 This class would be about using communication to lead organizational change.<\/p>\n

What did we not ask that you think is important for people to know?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

There are three professional skills that everyone should develop:\u00a0 how to speak publicly, how to run a meeting, and how to facilitate a discussion.\u00a0 Take the opportunity while you\u2019re at Truman to hone these skills!<\/p>\n

\"\"

Jessica, her husband Jason, and their children Jacob and Caitlin (2021).<\/p><\/div>\n

If you would like to learn more of Jessica’s story, you can follow her on Facebook<\/a> and LinkedIn<\/a>.<\/span><\/strong><\/h4>\n

<\/h4>\n

 <\/p>\n

If <\/span><\/strong>you want to learn more about the Department of Communication, contact us<\/a>!<\/span><\/strong><\/h4>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Jessica Hill is the Executive Director of the Safe House for Women, a non-profit domestic violence services agency located in Cape Girardeau, MO. She graduated magna cum laude from Truman. in 1999 with a degree in Communication and a minor in Public Administration. She also received her Master\u2019s degree in Non-Profit Management from Oral Roberts … Read More →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":497,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[50608],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2920","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-watdn"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.truman.edu\/commspotlight\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2920","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.truman.edu\/commspotlight\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.truman.edu\/commspotlight\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.truman.edu\/commspotlight\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/497"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.truman.edu\/commspotlight\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2920"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.truman.edu\/commspotlight\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2920\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2934,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.truman.edu\/commspotlight\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2920\/revisions\/2934"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.truman.edu\/commspotlight\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2920"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.truman.edu\/commspotlight\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2920"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.truman.edu\/commspotlight\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2920"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}