People hired at a college are often given a specific position sometimes either an instructor or administrator, but Shawn Tillotson is an outlier. Having held multiple positions in his short 4 years at Northeast Community College, Tillotson, the new Associate Dean of the Business and Technology Department at Northeast, has met and made an impact on numerous students and staff. Shawn Tillotson always wanted to help students succeed. “Seeing the new faces, the freshman and sophomores. Building that relationship with them. It kind of takes you back to when you were in college and not knowing what you wanted to do for the rest of your life. Just seeing that in their eyes and trying to help guide them. That’s my favorite part of what I get to do at Northeast.”

Prior to his role as a dean he worked in human resources. As a human resource coordinator he found his passion for helping students and staff alike. Tillotson has also been an adjunct in the business department where he taught Microsoft Office and personal finance. He is no stranger to the business world either. Receiving a bachelor’s degree in business administration from UNL as well as working in banks, for his family’s businesses, and even starting his own business. “The experience I had from the business world has really helped me make the transition to my new position here at Northeast.”

Born and raised in Norfolk, Tillotson and Northeast seem like an ideal match. For much of his life he has worked in Norfolk. Tillotson was even the junior varsity boys’ soccer team at Norfolk High for 10 years. He was the assistant coach for the Northeast men’s soccer team in their first season.  Tillotson said his dream job would be coaching soccer. His love for coaching motivated him to pursue a career in teaching.  Tillotson also received a degree in teaching from Wayne State.

If you asked Tillotson where he would be now five years ago he would have had no clue. “Could I have told you I’d be here even five years ago? No, I would have never guessed it. That’s just kind of how life is though. You roll with what’s there, but I am extremely happy where I am today.”