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New Associate Dean has a colorful resume

Dr. Ivette Trentini is the new associate dean for Business/CIT/Trades on Southeast Community Collegeā€™s Lincoln Campus. Sheā€™s spent the past 12 years as a speech instructor at the College and is looking forward to her new role.

ā€œI want to build relationships with faculty and make sure they donā€™t burn out of their important roles as educators,ā€ she said. ā€œI feel this is an important aspect of serving our students, our community and the world.ā€

Trentini was raised in Lincoln by two immigrant parents; her mother is from Guatemala and her father is from Brazil. Growing up, there were three different languages circulating in her household.

ā€œMy mother is quite upset at me for not remembering enough Spanish,ā€ she joked.

Trentini received her degree in Environmental Laboratory Technology from ¶¶ŅõĢ½Ģ½App in 1997. She went on to work at Molex in the chemistry lab adjusting chemicals for the manufacturing lines. She then went on to work at Omahaā€™s Henry Doorly Zoo. First, she supervised and trained employees and later worked in research conservation.

ā€œI worked with endangered animals and frequently I would work in cages with the big cats. They were sedated, but not so much that they didnā€™t growl at us,ā€ she recalled.

She then switched gears and worked in the non-profit field, both in fundraising and administration. She started teaching part-time as an adjunct and decided that it was something she wanted to do.

She earned her bachelorā€™s degree in Business Management at Bellevue University in 2006 and her masterā€™s in Communication in 2008. She started in 2009 as an adjunct at ¶¶ŅõĢ½Ģ½App, and full-time in 2011. She then received her Doctorate of Education in Interdisciplinary Leadership from Creighton University in 2018. She will continue to keep teaching in her new role.

ā€œIā€™ve taught several different classes under the realm of communication,ā€ she said. ā€œI try not to broadcast the ā€˜speech teacherā€™ role because people become self-conscious.ā€

One of the reasons she decided to pursue this new position is when she retires she would like to work and/or develop international education for the underserved. She believes this is a natural step toward that goal.

ā€œShe readily acknowledges the benefits of the community college education because she is living proof of its benefits,ā€ said Dr. Kathy Eitzmann, dean of ¶¶ŅõĢ½Ģ½Appā€™s Business and Community Services divisions.

When sheā€™s not working, Trentini enjoys cooking and spending time with her boyfriend and two cats. Her office is in T-101 on the Lincoln Campus.

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Andrea Gallagher
Communications Specialist
402-323-3395
agallagher@southeast.edu