Name: Bryan Poppe
Job Title: Training Specialist
What is it they say you do:
I have been a trainer at CCFL for 20 years training a variety of topics. I’m also the Tribal Liaison for the Winnebago, Ponca, Omaha, and Santee Nations in Nebraska. Working and interacting with the tribal nations has been very gratifying, and I thoroughly enjoy my relationships with the tribal workers and the administration.
Who are your early influences/who inspired you most:
My mom has been my biggest supporter and inspiration. My father unexpectedly passed away when I was fifteen years old. This, of course, changed our lives significantly. In a very short period of time after my father died, my mom held three jobs at the same time. She started attending college to get a degree in the medical field. She is extremely self-sufficient, determined, loving, and funny!
What has been your greatest source of career satisfaction/proudest achievement?
From a training perspective, I’m very proud and have a great deal of satisfaction knowing that I have given the trainees 100% of my energy and subject knowledge each and every day that I have trained!! Learning is the goal and getting them motivated and excited to learn has been my hallmark in the classroom!
Prior to coming to CCFL, I was an Initial Assessment worker in the Lincoln office of Health and Human Services for a few years. The relationships that I had with the Lincoln Police Department, Lancaster County Sheriff’s office, the school system, juvenile court, and the county attorney’s office were amazing. All of the “players” knew each other well, and we had a great deal of consistency in our team approach regarding investigative protocol centered on the welfare of children. Everyone worked very well together as a unified team.
Family life/hobbies/community involvement:
My wife, Shaunda, and I will be celebrating our 25th anniversary in May. We have no children. We don’t have any pets. We are quite boring I’m sure. Our evenings consist of going to the health club and eating out with friends for a late dinner once or twice a week. The highlight of the evening is watching Nightly Business Report on public television, which we can get “over the air” since we don’t have cable or satellite. We really don’t watch much television, and we have never had the Internet. We have never owned a computer. It’s a lifestyle of choice, and we are very content.
We are active in our home church. We love to do landscaping and designing. We volunteer at local running clinics and races. We attend BMW motorcycle rallies across the U.S. Shaunda was born in southern California, so we like to hang out there and in Arizona. We go to the public library to read magazines or to do some research. I have two homes to maintain (mom’s too), so we keep plenty busy with projects and tidying!
Favorite quotes from Dave Ramsey:
“Live like no one else today so later in life you can live like no one else!”
“Getting financial advice from someone who is in debt is like asking a shop teacher with missing fingers how to safely operate a table saw!”