18 NEBRASKA CATTLEMAN June/July 2024 LEADer’s Reflections Nebraska LEAD Director Terry Hejny Prepares for Retirement CALLIE CURLEY | CONTRIBUTING WRITER An accomplished, transformational leader with decades of service to Nebraska agriculture is preparing for retirement this summer. Terry Hejny, Ph.D., a Seward County native who has called Lincoln home for nearly 20 years, will be retiring as president and COO of Nebraska Agricultural Leadership, the nonprofit that governs the Nebraska LEAD Program in cooperation with the University of Nebraska–Lincoln’s Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources. Hejny began his career as an agricultural educator – then called vocational agriculture – at Geneva High School. After 18 years in the school system, he later moved into a role with Extension in 1998, serving both Fillmore and Cass counties during his tenure. In 2007, Hejny was named director of the Nebraska LEAD program. A Class 20 LEAD participant from 2000-2002, Hejny brought a true understanding of the program and its participants into the job. “Because I had been through the program, I understood from day one what was happening with our LEAD fellows,” Hejny says. “These are accomplished leaders with full plates – they’re trying to balance work, family and community obligations in order to be a part of the program and develop themselves.” Looking back on his 17 years at the helm of Nebraska LEAD, Hejny has uncovered many lessons that can only be learned through experience. “A key thing I realized early on was just how many people across the state and beyond truly care about and are invested in our program,” Hejny says. “We have had so many support us with their time, talent and treasures over the years. “In my early days, I remember looking around and thinking: ‘Wow, we have got something really special here…I cannot mess this up!’” Hejny says with a laugh. Hejny’s legacy, and the continued success of the Nebraska LEAD program almost two decades later, shows that fear never came to fruition. “A friend of mine once said that the graduates of Nebraska LEAD are the ‘who’s who’ of agriculture in our state. When people ask me who our most famous or accomplished graduate is, I’m very proud to say that all our graduates are famous,” Hejny says. “These are transformational servant LEAD 39 fellows and Terry Hejny, center, attend a Social Issues seminar at Creighton University. Steve Tippery (LEAD 28), Austin Benes (LEAD 40) and Terry Hejny, left to right, during the UNO/UNMC Agribusiness and Advances in Health Care Seminar. PEOPLE
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