Name: Toby Burnham
Job Title: Research Specialist
Where do you hail from: Hastings, NE originally, but lived in Montana for several years before relocating to Lincoln.
What is it they say you do: I work on the IV-E Waiver Evaluation. My primary job responsibilities are collecting, organizing, and analyzing data; itemizing, calculating, and interpreting cost data associated with projects; and distributing, managing, and organizing numerous paper and electronic files (i.e., surveys).
What has been your greatest source of career satisfaction/ proudest achievement: One of my proudest achievements has been running my own shop for the past 5 years. Hunter Gatherer (HG) started as a side-project while finishing my undergrad, but it has transformed into something much larger than I ever anticipated. I manage to maintain HG while finishing my master’s degree and working at CCFL.
What has been an unexpected detour/ greatest frustration/disappointment: An unexpected detour was moving back to Lincoln. I was only planning on being here for one year and moving on; but I was asked to design clothing for a small fashion show, which landed me a job and put me on an entirely different path. Twelve years later, I am still here and loving it.
What is your passion/what you are drawn to/what motivates you/where do you hope to be in five years: My passion is traveling. I try to spend my free time (and money) seeing as many points on the map as possible!
Family life/hobbies /community involvement: My partner, Alex, and I have been together for 14 years. We have the sweetest golden retriever, Orabelle, and a beagle/monster named Figgy. We also have two cats, Helen and Gus. I co-own a shop called Stella Collective (across the street from the Zoo Bar if anyone is interested). As mentioned earlier, my part of the collective is called Hunter Gatherer, which focuses on nature-based home décor (e.g., plants, gems/minerals, taxidermy).