PAR T N E R S PO TL I G H T
Trish Guinan Brings Collaborative Spirit and Wealth of Experience to New Role with NSEA By Tyler Dahlgren, NCSA Communications Manager
Trish Guinan joined the NSEA staff in 1997 with 20 years of teaching experience and 48 school districts to serve in northeast Nebraska. Forty-eight places she’d never visited before but would soon know like the back of her hand. The career shift was spurred on by 20 elemenGUINAN tary teaching positions being cut in Fremont Public Schools, a startling move in her own district that frankly didn’t sit well with Guinan. She was eager to advocate for the profession she loved, and NSEA provided an opportunity to do just that. Guinan would start in the field, venturing across the northeast pocket of the state from school to school. This was the late 90s, mind you, before every car was equipped with OnStar and built-in GPS systems. When road maps weren’t used for collecting dust and hollering “Hey, Siri!” into inanimate objects would still cause a crooked stare. Those 48 school districts, no matter the size of the town they sat in, weren’t always a cinch to track down. Not the first time through, anyway. Luckily, Guinan’s colleagues at NSEA shared a tried-and-true trick with their newest field staff member. “Look for the water tower, they’d say, because the school is always nearby,” Guinan said. “And in most cases it was. It worked nearly every single time.” Perhaps it’s a coincidence, or maybe it’s something stronger, but the belief that a school is the cornerstone of a community has guided Guinan’s work for 25 years. It’s a steadfast belief for Guinan, who earlier this year became the association’s Executive Director. For the board, the longest serving employee who was also a former teacher, was an obvious choice. “Having somebody with the wealth of knowledge and experience that Trish has was a no-brainer for us,” said NSEA 16
NCSA TODAY SUMMER 2022
Board of Directors President Jenni Benson. “It’s really important to the board, all educators, to select a candidate who could step right into the position knowing the association well; someone who has been in the classroom and understands the services we provide to our members but also understands the state of Nebraska.” Advocating on behalf of Nebraska’s teachers is second nature for Guinan. Going to bat for an entire profession is easy when you’ve stood where they’re standing, and Guinan knows Nebraska’s schools are worth every ounce of effort she’s expended over the course of a 45-year career in education. “Our public schools in Nebraska are extremely effective,” Guinan said. “Over and over, parents are pleased with the product and the work we do.”
“You see people struggling, and you want to do whatever you can do to help them. That’s why coming to NSEA 25 years ago was very enticing to me, and that’s what motivates me every day.” — Trish Guinan
When Guinan says we, she means it. She’s bringing a collaborative spirit into her new role, and, coming from a role where she worked almost exclusively with NSEA members, has already learned a great deal about the value of partnering with other associations in the education sphere. Common ground is solid ground. “I’ve been trying to focus more on our common ground, not the things we disagree on or the silos that exist in the work that we do,” Guinan said. “Instead of having those silos, how do we find that common ground to work with more of an inclusionary mindset? Working together across the board with our educators, with our communities, with our administrators, and with our school boards, it’s vitally important that we
