by Tyler Dahlgren

NCSA Celebrates Outgoing Commissioner of Education Dr. Matt Blomstedt

By Tyler Dahlgren, Communications Manager

Time flies.

One minute, you’re on an elevator headed to the very top of the U.S. Bank Building to interview Nebraska’s Commissioner of Education over lunch at The Nebraska Club. The next, you’re snapping photos at a reception held in the NCSA Offices to celebrate Dr. Matt Blomstedt nearing the end of a nine-year tenure.

Time really does fly, but I was fortunate enough to interview the commissioner no less than 20 times in the six years in between. I’ll always remember that second one, maybe because we were 20 stories above Lincoln, but more likely for how nervous I was.

It was my second time sitting down with Dr. Blomstedt. Our first interview, in November of 2016, was in a crowded restaurant with Dr. Dulaney and Deputy Commissioner Brian Halstead seated around the table. This time, we’d be alone, a one-onone conversation for a new segment we’d call “Catching Up With The Commissioner.” I was going to have to carry the conversation and pretend like I knew what I was talking about.

The education arena was foreign to me. Since high school, I had written about sports and only sports. I didn’t know my subject matter. Not yet, anyway. I was learning as fast as I could, but AQuESST, strategic plans, and the state budget might as well have been written in hieroglyphics.

Over chicken salad sandwiches, I began our second interview, which would last about 30 minutes. When it was over, my conversation with the Commissioner shifted to Husker baseball, vacation destinations, and our hometowns.

We left The Nebraska Club well over an hour later. I wasn’t nervous anymore. I had an article to write.

In the six years since, Dr. Blomstedt has been nothing but gracious with his time. I’ve hounded him for interviews and tagged along as he toured schools in Northeast Nebraska. I’ve covered the NCSA/NDE Advocacy Team on their trips to Capitol Hill, and we’ve crossed paths at many different events across the state.

In each of Dr. Blomstedt’s interactions with people, the ones that I observed, he was as kind and courteous as he was with a young communications specialist trying his best to learn the ropes in a new field. The celebration of Dr. Blomstedt’s time as Nebraska’s Commissioner of Education was held on November 29th. Attendees, including Senator Lynne Walz and NCSA and NDE staff, showed their appreciation and had a chance to thank Dr. Blomstedt for his service.

Chair Kevin Wingard opened the celebration, and Executive Director Dr. Mike Dulaney followed, remarking on the commissioner’s journey, beginning with his time as Executive Director of NRCSA and then as the first CEO of the ESUCC. Dr. Blomstedt thanked everyone and said a few words of his own.

I’ll leave you with the highlights.

“A lasting image that we will all have in our heads is of Matt and Governor Ricketts on the TV screen at the onset of and throughout the pandemic. There was no pamphlet or book, no instructions on how to deal with a pandemic. They just did the best they could, and who among us could say we could have done better? I personally don’t think I could. Matt was the right leader at the moment.”-Dr. Dulaney

“Matt put out a lot of fires over the years to make things happen as he did. He leads quietly; that’s his style. He’s always been a quiet leader. It’s been nine years. Matt has stood the test of time, and he’s done a good job.”-Dr. Dulaney

NCSA Chair Kevin Wingard presents Dr. Matt Blomstedt with the NCSA Award of Excellence during a celebration of the outgoing Commissioner of Education at the offices on Nov. 29.

Continued on page 9...