Meet Jacolyn Hansen

In September the School of Theology and Seminary (SOT/Sem) welcomed a new member to its Development/Alumni Team. Jacolyn Hansen has been named the Associate Director of Development and Alumni Relations. 

Jacolyn comes to us from the local Girl Scouts council headquartered in Waite Park, where she also worked in Development, improving and expanding their grantwriting efforts. Working in the areas of fundraising and development is a career path that was an unexpected divergence for Jacolyn, but she has discovered an amazing joy in the work involved and is keen to further grow her talents.

Jacolyn’s professional career began with the completion of a Bachelor of Arts in English from St. Cloud State University in 1998. Shortly after graduating, she was employed by SCSU as a Library Technician, having just begun work on a graduate degree in Library and Information Sciences through a distance-learning program from the University of North Texas. After completing this degree in 2001, Jacolyn moved to Denver, Colorado, where she secured the position of University Librarian at Colorado Technical University. As the university’s enrollment increased, she transitioned into the role of Registrar. Jacolyn continued in that role until 2012, when she recognized the need to return to her home state of Minnesota due to her father’s worsening battle with Alzheimer’s.

While working at Colorado Technical University, Jacolyn attained an MBA with a Project Management emphasis in 2011. Upon leaving Colorado and relocating to Saint Paul, Jacolyn spent several years working in the business sector as a Project Manager, enabling growth of her career experience and adding the skills and knowledge associated with this field to her expanding repertoire of professional abilities. However, the sense of satisfaction and accomplishment Jacolyn had previously felt working in university settings was missing. Searching for an alternative position that would restore the feeling of giving back, she discovered the Development opportunity at the Girl Scouts, which eventually brought her to the SOT/Sem.

Growing up in northern Minnesota on a dairy farm and spending most of her childhood in a rural setting fostered a lifetime love of the outdoors for Jacolyn, and many of her personal hobbies, like swimming, hiking, and cross-country skiing, incorporate nature extensively. She is also an advocate of life-long learning, is an avid reader, enjoys art, theatre and dance, and is an ardent music lover.

Please stop and introduce yourself to Jacolyn if you’ve not already met and welcome her to the School of Theology and Seminary. She is located in Luke 211 and is delighted to acquaint herself with our school’s students, faculty, staff, alumni and friends