November 2024 NEBRASKA CATTLEMAN 19 Academic Pursuits After graduating from Colorado State University, she started her career in academia with a position at the University of Minnesota. There, she served as the pre-harvest meat quality and safety specialist for three years. “I worked in the Center for Animal Health and Food Safety, and there were a lot of veterinarians, one food scientist and myself who worked on a team,” VanOverbeke says. “We got to work on all kinds of issues, including BSE. I helped navigate that issue and assisted with programming efforts centered around it.” She was recruited by Oklahoma State University, where she spent 18 years of her career. She started as a faculty member in the Department of Animal and Food Sciences before transitioning to serving as the assistant dean of academic programs for the Ferguson College of Agriculture. “As assistant dean, I worked directly with undergraduate and graduate students to navigate their challenges and efforts,” VanOverbeke says. “I also supported faculty as they worked with students. I worked through various situations, from scholarships to student council.” She also guided students and faculty through difficult situations. “Unfortunately, we had students pass away from suicide and another student that passed away from an aggressive form of cancer,” VanOverbeke says. “It made me appreciate many things concerning working with students and helping them get to the next step of their academic journey.” Returning Home As an undergraduate student at UNL, she had no idea that her path would lead her right back to Nebraska in July 2023 to be the head of the department where she was once a student. “I took the opportunity to come back to Nebraska as the [Animal Science] department head because it allowed me to do a lot of the things I was doing as assistant dean,” VanOverbeke says. “I got to expand that effort in teaching, research and Extension in my home department, where I was trained. I love giving back and re-engaging with the industry in which I researched and worked.” She enjoys impacting her students and fellow faculty through her role as the department head. “I am always looking for a way to make a difference, whether through high school visits, having a presence at the state fair or navigating research challenges,” VanOverbeke says. “When I worked for Nebraska Cattlemen, I had a lot of people who impacted me to help me grow professionally. I want to give back to the university that made me who I am today.” For the first six months of her new role, VanOverbeke focused on getting her feet under her. “I was just trying to figure out what was going on, so we were having a lot of meetings,” VanOverbeke says. “The Department of Animal Science has approximately 40 faculty members, but not all are in Lincoln. I spent the first few months here meeting with them in the different groups they had formed, such as the ruminant nutrition group.” She took time to learn about the projects they were working on and what they needed assistance with. VanOverbeke also met with an external advisory board that had been established before her arrival. “It was all about getting connected to everyone who contributed to the department’s success and getting familiar with the VanOverbeke, right, serves on a career pathway panel at the American Meat Science Association Student Leadership Conference with Don Moss of Instinct Pet Food, left, and Jennifer Dibern of American Foods Group, center. VanOverbeke, UNL Head Coach of the Nebraska Cornhuskers Women’s Volleyball team John Cook, UNL volleyball team member Bergan Reilly, Esther VanOverbeke and UNL volleyball team members Andi Jackson and Rebekah Allick, left to right, at a Beef Quality Assurance event, sponsored by Certified Angus Beef. CONTINUED ON PAGE 20
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