A Five-Year Detour: My Journey to SKyPAC and Back

There was nothing more frightening to me as a young mother who had stayed home to raise children than the thought of going back to full-time work. For years I was a part-time preschool teacher working with three and four year-olds at a church. It was safe and sheltered.  Before children, my life was much faster.  After graduating from college, getting married, and moving back and forth to/from Georgia, I worked in sales at local newspapers. After that, I was an instructional assistant in the city school system.  Matt and I were serving in full-time ministry, working at our church, and he was attending seminary at Lipscomb.

Married life and babies happened quickly. And then suddenly, they were all heading to kindergarten.  I knew I wanted to ease back into work, but I had NO clue what I was going to do.  SKyPAC had opened in the spring of 2012, and they were hiring part time ticket office staff.  I remember thinking, Maybe I could do that?  And, they took a chance on me.

I always joke and tell people I was baptized by fire. Not only is the ticket office the front line for everything, but the gentleman who hired me quit that very week. Ouch!  After working my first show, coming from a very low key work world up until that point, I went home, sat in the bathtub, and cried. What in the world had I gotten myself into?! With the help of Katie, Debbie, and Sue, I powered on, and we became an unstoppable team. I caught on quickly, and the rest was history.

 

 

I was exposed to incredible artists and colleagues like Andee Rudloff, the late Brandon Bradshaw, and one of the most talented vocalists I’ve ever heard, Zac Bush, in the education department where I eventually transitioned into a full-time role.

 

 

Deb was my rock and automatic best friend. We made an instant connection — swapping stories and cheering each other on through the highs and lows. We'd throw paper planes over our next door cubicles for entertainment or when we were annoyed!  It was such a special friendship.

Jess was one of those people who could market anything. She was constantly thinking outside the box, always asking, “How can we make this work?” I assisted her on projects that we still laugh about (and stress about to this day - ha!).

 

 

Jennie was the rockstar ticket office manager who somehow managed to be everyone’s friend. She could handle high-pressure on sales, show nights, subscriptions, and settlements easily.  She carried the weight of the ticket office, protected her staff, and was always willing to assist frustrated patrons or address software issues.  It was a hard role!

 

 

 

Jan, Erin, Becky, Jackie, Betty, Lynn, Bob, Dane, Alex, Rob, William, James and so many others, past and present, poured countless hours into keeping SKyPAC running. There were long days, late nights, big shows, deadlines, budgets, and times that stretched all of us so thin!  SKyPAC became my home.

 

Eventually, I was in charge of the education department. I never in a million years saw myself working in a performing arts center, but oh, how I loved my role there!!! I worked with teaching artists: Kenny Lee with Blues in Schools, Chris Carmichael and the way he could make his violin talk to students, Andrew Wielawski (who once took me to lunch at Mellow and introduced me to mushroom soup) and could teach children how to carve stone, Anthony Alterio and dance workshops, Kevin Spencer who is still a close friend that led multiple magic camps and school workshops that left kids amazed, and Alfredo and Jennifer Escobar who brought folk dancing and art into classrooms. Storytelling residencies. Fencing clinics through Kentucky Shakespeare. Puppet making workshops with Bits n Pieces theatre. Bullying prevention workshops which led to meaningful conversations with students.  Those were just a few of the projects I had the privilege of coordinating which exposed thousands of students to experiences they might not have otherwise had.  And that was only the in-school component.

 

 

 

I loved the weeks of summer camps - the laughter, the nervousness, the friendships formed by Friday evening and Saturday performances. Our building was full of energy and excitement.  My own children were able to participate when they were younger.

 

 

 

 

School day matinees where thousands of children experienced live performances, some for the very first time.  It was such a treat seeing the looks on their faces when they walked into the building, when the lights dimmed and the curtain rose.  Being terrified myself because I had to go out on stage and introduce the groups and speak on all the building safety measures. 

 

Scholastic Art & Writing exhibitions and our arts galleries filled with student artwork and proud families coming in to check them out.

It was one of the most joyful seasons of my life. Then came COVID and the world had to pivot. I never want to minimize that season because so many people experienced loss.  Businesses went bankrupt.  Schools closed.  But losing my job was painful!  I had spent eight and a half years there. It was all I knew. That building, those people, our goals.  It was my adult life. I was filling out unemployment paperwork.  What in the world was the unemployment office? How did this work? How were we going to make it financially as a family?  I was terrified.  Not just of the logistics but of the unknown - starting over!

 

Then SKYCTC entered the picture.  Again, never did I dream I would be working in the world of higher education.  I'm not sure why it surprised me since I am surrounded by family who are educators.  I fell in love with it.  It was a welcome reprieve after SO much uncertainty.  I'd tried a few other things during the in-between and knew those were not the career paths I wanted.  They didn't fit.  This did.  It was a new beginning in a different setting.  I'm forever grateful to Renee White and Marsha Shorts (and the entire business division) who were so patient with me as I settled into my job.  Chris Royse was the perfect boss and one of the most selfless leaders I ever worked with.  I've met some of the most awesome people at SKYCTC.

 

 

 

After leaving my role with the business division, I transitioned over to Adult Education a little over a year ago.  It’s been incredibly rewarding. Working with adult learners and with such a dedicated team has taught me so much. It’s been inspiring to be a small part of someone’s bigger journey. Forever grateful for this group!!!

 

 

I like telling people I went from one Sky to another Sky.  And guess what, skies are on top and both of these places are the best at what they do.  Different mission but both life changing!  I've spent five incredible years at SKYCTC and honestly thought this would be the place I would close out my career.  But, life had other plans.  I received a call from a colleague at SKyPAC the week before last. She asked if I would consider coming back. It would be a new role, different from what I had done before.  She said she believed I would be a great fit.  After we hung up, my mind raced a million miles an hour.  SKYCTC was home and a safe place when I needed it.  But, I also felt this huge TUG on my heart.  It would be a chance to return to a place and people that I loved.  That's really hard to pass up.

After a nice discussion with SKyPAC's leadership team and long conversations with Matt, I knew my answer.  It was time to go back home.  That’s the only way I can describe it.  Not because SKYCTC wasn’t meaningful because it has been. But SKyPAC was where I  started and where I want to end. I’m excited, anxious, grateful...I’m also aware that returning doesn’t mean everything will be how it was.  It will be a new chapter, and I am okay with that.

Sometimes a detour is a good thing. I'm ready for what's next!  Stay tuned.