Jeannine Shafer: A career adding up to big impact

KALAMAZOO, Mich.—Jeannine Shafer, administrative assistant II in the Department of Finance and Commercial Law, has spent 15 years at Western Michigan University supporting faculty members and students in doing their best work—and her efforts have added up in big ways. Retiring in June, Shafer’s career has been marked by both effectiveness and significant impact.

Before coming to WMU, Shafer was a customer support representative in the insurance industry, then a homeschool mom and office support in her husband’s business for 28 years. In 2009, she returned to school and completed her Associate of Applied Science in Business Administration, joining Western’s Finance and Commercial Law Department in 2011.

During her time at WMU Haworth, Shafer has:

• Assisted with the grand opening of the Greenleaf Trust Trading Room.
• Supported the opening and operations of the Sanford Center for Financial Planning and Wellness.
• Provided ground-up support for the Dollars and Sense financial literacy camps and other financial planning programs.

While Shafer has been responsible for many office management tasks in her department, her favorite moments, by far, are in the student support role she has played. “Getting to know the students and watching them grow in their academic knowledge and maturity is very rewarding,” she says. “I hope students have found me to be supportive, caring and accommodating. Our students are very grateful for all I do, and I am often humbled by their appreciation. After all, helping them is my job!”

And it’s a job that Shafer has done at the highest level.

"Jeannine has been a true blessing for the Department of Finance and Commercial Law, says Dr. Jim DeMello, chair. “During her 15 years of service to the department, she has done a fantastic job of assisting students, faculty and other administrative staff in their numerous tasks related to academic affairs, and she has done it with heartfelt concern, caring and always with a smile!”

For Shafer, she achieved a life goal through her role at WMU Haworth—finding an ideal job for her skills, talents and family life. “It has been my extreme pleasure to serve the Department of Finance and Commercial Law faculty and students.  I returned to the workforce after having been a homeschool mom and business partner and assistant in our family business. I once had to write a paper describing my dream job, and I can honestly say that my career at Western Michigan University has perfectly matched all the requirements I outlined in that paper. The culture here truly provides a perfect work-life balance.”

In retirement, Shafer plans to spend more time with her family in Michigan and to seek warmer weather in the deep winter months by visiting her daughter and her family in North Carolina often. Her bucket list includes more sight-seeing in the U.S. She also plans to contribute to the community through volunteering, still focusing on investing albeit in a different form now.

Learn more about the Haworth College of Business.

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