Name: Chad Gressley
Job Title: Training Specialist/In-Service Training Coordinator
Where do you hail from:
Born in Kearney Nebraska, raised in rural Nebraska and went to high school in small town Ravenna.
What is it they say you do:
Depends on who you ask.
Who are your early influences/who inspired you most:
Early influences…well probably Scooby Do/Mystery Incorporated and Fat Albert/Junk Yard Gang. Watched both cartoons religiously while drinking chocolate milk from my Warner Brothers Taz Mug, still wonder where that mug went. Who inspired me the most, my parents with their work ethic. They have a traditional rural Nebraska work ethic, get up before sun up, start working and don’t stop until you can’t see anymore (after sunset).
What has been your greatest source of career satisfaction/ proudest achievement:
Being hired at the Center was probably my greatest career satisfaction, being surrounded by caring Center coworkers is always satisfying. Non-work related proudest achievement is by far my kids. At times, I want to pull my hair out and scream but then there are days that make me feel very proud.
What has been an unexpected detour/ greatest frustration/disappointment:
OJS.
What is your passion/what you are drawn to/what motivates you/where do you hope to be in five years:
I want to make a difference in the adolescent field, working with teenagers has always been my passion and I enjoy expanding my knowledge and sharing that knowledge on any topics related to adolescents.
Family life/hobbies /community involvement:
As a family we have always been involved in some type of sport, we have involved Cole in sports and activities since he was a wee one and Chloe more recently. Baseball, football, basketball, volleyball, tennis, soccer, and golf have consumed our family time. My daughter is a gym rat or field rat, raised with other gym/field rats. She is always running around some gym or field where her brother is playing. Other than watching my kids compete in sports, I enjoy camping, fishing, hunting, shooting, hiking, boating, kayaking/canoeing, construction, and working my Ford 2N tractor. We always have some work project at home so I wear my tool belt on the weekends. We also love spending time at the cabin beside Swanson Lake. We also are members of St. James Catholic Church in Kearney.
The quotation I live my life by is......
The world ain't all sunshine and rainbows. It's a very mean and nasty place and I don't care how tough you are it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain't about how hard ya hit. It's about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. How much you can take and keep moving forward. That's how winning is done!
Balboa