Hoffman honored as SAYPro’s Young Professional of the Year

Elyzabeth Hoffman still finds it hard to believe she was chosen as the Shawano Area Young Professionals 2023 Young Professional of the Year. “When I first got a call about it, I was like, ‘Really? Me?’” she said. “I don’t like to talk highly of myself. There are a lot of really great young professionals in the community. I still have trouble believing they picked me.” Hoffman is a marketing assistant at Northeast Wisconsin Technical College (NWTC) in Shawano and a full-time student at University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, pursuing a degree in organizational leadership. She’s married with two young children, and she’s involved in her church and community groups. Her job led to her involvement with the Shawano County Literacy Council. “It’s a passion of mine and a logical next step based on my job,” she said. “Both are involved with the same goal, just different ways to get there.” Melody Boyd, with the literacy council, was one of the two who nominated Hoffman. “Elyzabeth has been a member of our board of directors at Shawano County Literacy Council for the past two years,” Boyd said. “She is dependable and proactive. She established and maintains our social media account. She provides thoughtful and relevant input at board meetings and completes tasks in a timely and efficient manner. Elyzabeth always presents herself in a professional yet friendly manner and, as the youngest member of our board, provides fresh insight to whatever is presented.” One of Hoffman’s co-workers, Becky Hutchison, also nominated her. “I have worked with Elyzabeth since December 2021,” Hutchison said. “She exhibits positive energy and willingness to participate wholeheartedly in the Literacy Council, despite other involvement in the community and growing family.” Hoffman and her husband, Kyle, are the parents of two young children, Henry, 4, and Clyde, 2. She is also heavily involved in the Shawano MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) leadership team, based at her church, St. James Lutheran Church. “As a young mother, it’s a great way to meet and talk with others,” she said. Hoffman was among the 2023 graduates of Leadership Shawano County, a cooperative effort of the Shawano Country Chamber of Commerce and the University of Wisconsin-Extension of Shawano County. The goal of the leadership program is to build a pool of citizens with broad knowledge of ideas, issues and concerns faced by local communities. It is hoped that as the participants become aware of the challenges and the many existing resources, they will take leadership and active participation roles in helping to meet those challenges. From her participation in that, she and her fellow graduates created Shawano Paddlers, which aims to plan and coordinate paddle outings for canoeing, kayaking and stand-up paddle boarding in the Shawano area. “I’ve always enjoyed time on the water, but the funny thing is, I don’t even own a kayak,” she said with a laugh. “Whenever we would plan an outing, we would make sure rentals would be available – for others and for me. There are a lot of really great places to paddle around Shawano. It has definitely reignited my passion for paddling.” Another passion of Hoffman’s is sustainability. At NWTC, she’s involved with the Environmental Climate Stewardship Team that focuses on sustainability issues at NWTC and in the greater Shawano community. “She sets a great example of work-life balance for other young professional women,” Boyd said. The Shawano Area Young Professionals is a group of individuals engaged in a career and who exemplify strong morals and ethics, strive for personal and career-related growth, all achieved by experience, education and positive relationships. “She checks all of the boxes in regards to (that) mission,” Hutchison said. “There is positivity flowing through her bones. She is always willing to participate, time willing. Learning is growing, so with her working at a school and being enrolled in school, I would say that also shows strong morals and ethics to better her life and family.” kpasson@newmedia-wi.com