In the Spotlight: Kirsten Hoeflaken ’18MED, Staff Senator and University Program Specialist for Knowledge Management and Assessment

We’re introducing a new series called In the Spotlight in which we’ll feature one staff member each month. In our debut edition, we spotlight Kirsten Hoeflaken, a staff senator, the 2024 SHRA recipient of the College of Education’s 2024 Dr. Louis D. Hunt Service Leadership Award, and the university program specialist for knowledge management and assessment. Below she answers five questions. 

📣 What I tell others about my job: I gather and analyze data for accreditation purposes, annual reports like U.S. News, and supporting faculty and staff with data questions, data for yearly assessment reports, etc. Besides that, I manage and support faculty and staff in using SAGE (our homegrown data system), and Faculty Success.

✏️ Favorite part of my job: Besides this above, I am a University Supervisor for several Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) students in elementary education. I love to be in the classrooms and interact with the students. Helping and guiding them to become great teachers and guide them in their internships is what I love the most. Being a Staff Senator for our college is also a favorite part. I have learned so much since becoming a staff senator. Just listening to our staff to what our needs are and trying to put this on the Staff Senate agenda makes my job meaningful.

🌴 What I do away from my job: I love to travel. I just came back from a wonderful vacation in the Pacific Northwest. Just being on the road or traveling to other countries gives me joy. In September, I will travel to Iceland and meet a longtime friend from the Netherlands. Another thing that I love to do is to go to NC Courage women’s soccer games with my husband and daughter. To have a professional National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) team in our backyard is just amazing and a great night out!

💡 Something that recently inspired me: The work of the college’s Wellness Committee. Working together on wellness and giving it form in our college inspires me a lot. It just gives a smile on my face when I see all the little plants in the Center for Technology and Innovation (CTI). I am looking forward to continuing this very important work within our college.

❤️ What I love about the College of Education: The people! I love working with the people in our college. We have been through a lot after the closing of Poe Hall, but our faculty and staff are just the best. I am grateful for the wonderful colleagues around me.