Staff Spotlight: Brent Hardin - communications specialist

Every week, we’ll shine a spotlight on one Lincoln Public Schools staff member! Get to know the wonderful people making a positive impact across various areas within LPS. This week, meet Brent Hardin, communications specialist - editor/writer in LPS Communications.

“Brent started at LPS a year ago after a long and storied career in newspaper journalism as a reporter and editor at the Plattsmouth Journal. Since day one at Lincoln Public Schools, Brent works hard and dedicates many hours to showcase the quality teaching and learning that take place across the school district. His in-depth stories feature the people who make LPS great and communicate the many accomplishments of our students and staff. Through Brent's words, our community has a better understanding of what takes place in our classrooms and provides a behind-the-scenes look at what happens in our school district to support ALL of our students.” - Mindy Burbach, executive director of communications.

In a few sentences, briefly describe your role at LPS.
I travel to schools across Lincoln as a communications specialist. The job includes writing news and feature stories about the interesting and exciting things happening at all grade levels in the school district. A main focus is interviewing and taking photos of students, LPS employees and local residents for the different stories. I also take photos at some extracurricular events, help with copy editing and chip in with other assignments that come up throughout the week.

How long have you worked for LPS?
I have been working at LPS for one year.

What inspired you to become part of the education field at LPS?
The company that owned the newspaper that I had worked at decided to close the business in 2023. It was always fun covering activities at the five Cass County schools, and I was hoping to find a job where I could continue to be connected with a school system. When the LPS opening came up, I applied because it seemed like it would be a perfect fit, and it has been!

What has been your favorite part of working here? What aspect of your job do you find most rewarding?
The best part of this job is the same thing that was the best part of newspapers: the people. The people I work with at the district office are awesome and make it fun to be here, and it’s truly a blessing to get to go to schools and meet everyone there. I enjoy being able to share people’s stories, whether it’s a teacher who is a positive role model in the classroom, a student who is making a difference at school or an administrator who is guiding others with their leadership talents. It’s rewarding to try to pass along encouragement to them in this small way.

Did you attend LPS as a student? If so, which school(s)? If not, where are you from?
My hometown is Pella, Iowa, which is located about 40 miles southeast of Des Moines. I attended Lincoln Elementary School, Pella Middle School and Pella High School.

What path did you take after completing your formal education?
My first journalism job was in the sports department of the college newspaper at the University of Northern Iowa. I was a general assignment reporter at the Storm Lake Pilot-Tribune in northwest Iowa for two years before getting a master’s degree in journalism at the University of Iowa. From there, it was off to the Plattsmouth Journal, where I worked as sports editor for 17 years. The job included writing stories and taking photos at Conestoga, Elmwood-Murdock, Louisville, Plattsmouth and Weeping Water. General assignment duties such as covering district court hearings were added about two years into the job, and managing editor duties were added to the sports editor role in 2018.

What do you enjoy most about the Lincoln community?
There’s a strong sense of togetherness that you can feel in every part of the city. I think people are proud to be living in Lincoln, and they truly want to help make it the best community that it can be. They want to have good schools, good parks, good libraries and all of the other things that make a city a great place to live.

What is your favorite childhood book or a book that has influenced your life positively?
I remember reading as many Berenstain Bears books as I could when I was a little kid. Looking back, they were books that helped me learn how to read.

Share a shout out to a former teacher who impacted your life.
My first shout out would be to Mom and Dad, who were both elementary teachers in Pella for 30 years. I’m grateful for their love and support throughout my life, and they taught me about working hard, treating others with respect and the importance of family. My second shout out would be to Ann Visser, who was my high school journalism teacher. She has a real gift for inspiring people to do their best, and she was incredible working with all of us at the school newspaper.

Do you know a LPS staff member we should feature for Staff Spotlight? Fill out this form to nominate them!

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