Nice to Meet You: Shanie Bockmann

Shanie Bockmann works as a disaster program manager. She trains and supports our volunteers and is often on the frontlines during a disaster response. Shanie puts her heart into her work with the communities she serves. She answered our questions so we can learn more about her and her role.

Q: Could you explain what your title means and take us through your workday, or what projects you work on?

A: As a community disaster program manager, I work with volunteers, community members and other individuals involved in disaster preparedness and response. This involves education, preparedness, communication and of course action. What I love the most is that my job is not monotonous. It has a good deal of variety and keeps things interesting. I enjoy doing fire alarm installations, presenting educational programming with kids and "Be Red Cross Ready" with adults, training volunteers and providing direction as needed. I also enjoy receiving training and have learned so much while at the Red Cross.

Q: How long have you been with the Red Cross? Is this your first position with the Red Cross? If not, what was it?

A: I have been with the Red Cross for a little over four years. I started as a disaster program specialist. I was promoted to community disaster program manager in June 2024.

Shanie Bockmann

Q: What do you like about your work?

A: I LOVE working with the volunteers. I like helping to train and prepare them for responses, whether it be Disaster Action Team (DAT) or larger scale disaster response operations. I enjoy the comradery that goes along with being a Red Crosser, and am very proud to be a part of an organization with fundamental principles that are very much in line with my own.

Q: What do you like to listen to during the workday?

A: I usually have the T.V. on because I like a little background noise. When I take breaks, drive or travel I am almost always listening to a book on Audible.

Q: In what part of the region are you located, and what do you enjoy about your community?

A: I work in Central and Western Nebraska. I love the Midwest because I feel like people genuinely care for one another. They want to help and see one another succeed.

Q: How do you spend your time when you aren’t working?

A: I absolutely love to travel, kayak, hike and explore. I love spending time with family and friends and my fur babies, Baylee and Bentley. In addition, I enjoy helping on the farm with moving/working cattle, feeding farmers, irrigating, etc.

Q: What has most surprised you while working for the Red Cross?

A: I was extremely surprised at how often home fires occur. I had no idea that they were so frequent. For the most part, like many, my familiarity with the Red Cross was just around the blood services side of things. My dad was a frequent blood donor throughout his life, and he encouraged me to be as well.

Q: What is a Red Cross moment that sticks with you?

A: I can tell you that the most impactful moments I have had are far and away the deployments I have been on. You can never truly understand the devastation following a wildfire, hurricane, tornado or other disaster until you have been on the ground, amongst the chaos and destruction, working directly with those impacted. I think each of my deployments has been a learning experience. Every one of them has changed me as a person in some way. My two most impactful deployments thus far are my first deployment, which was to assist with the Afghan repatriation efforts and the Maui wildfires. For the Afghan repatriation efforts, I was deployed to Fort McCoy in Wisconsin. That particular deployment ultimately involved helping people who, in most cases, had left their country of origin with only the clothes on their backs. In Maui, the things that people shared with me were unimaginable. The shock, fear and anxiety around their experience was palpable. It will always stick with me; and I wish I could go back there and help more!