University of Utah : S.J. Quinney College of Law

Jan Nystrom

Associate Director, Wallace Stegner Center for Land, Resources, and the Environment

S.J. Quinney College of Law staff members are renowned for their multitasking abilities.

A good example is Jan Nystrom, who has been associate director of the College's Wallace Stegner Center since 2002.

Nystrom is responsible for the public programs sponsored by the Wallace Stegner Center, including its annual symposium, evening lecture series, popular noon-hour green bag series, and visiting young scholar program. All told, her duties range from planning programs to fundraising to media outreach, and a little bit of everything in between: "I work with Stegner faculty on indentifying topics and speakers for our annual symposium and other programs. In the initial stages of planning our yearly programming, I spend time researching topics, identifying potential speakers, and extending speaker invitations. I also cultivate relationships with our key donors and raise funds for our various programs. Once a program is underway, I am responsible for publicizing the program through direct mail and advertisements. I also work with local media to get our speakers interviewed on Utah's NPR affiliate radio stations, and get coverage for our major programs in the daily newspapers and local television." In additions to her responsibilities for programming, Nystrom also produces the publications for the Stegner Center, including the Center brochure and annual newsletter.

Nystrom particularly enjoys working on the Center's programs and elaborates that, "We have had very diverse and interesting speakers and topics, from climate change, to the Colorado River Compact, to wolf reintroduction and dispersal in the West. It's interesting to work on such diverse topics and it's gratifying to facilitate public education and discussion about some of the most critical global, regional, and local environmental issues of our day." In addition, she derives satisfaction from the growing success of Stegner Center programs, citing the popularity for the past two Stegner Center symposia, each of which has attracted standing-room-only crowds of 400 attendees. "I also enjoy my coworkers and friends at the College of Law," she adds. "It's a great community.

Before joining the Stegner Center, Nystrom spent more than 10 years as a professional communicator in both the for-profit and nonprofit sectors. She has worked in a breadth of industries, including high technology/software development, human resource consulting, healthcare, and education. A Utah native, Nystrom earned bachelor and master's degrees in English from the University of Utah.

Nystrom's hobbies include "Anything that involves being outside with my dogs," which includes hiking, backpacking, snowshoeing, cross country skiing and river running. She also loves to read: "I could never pick a single favorite book, but if sent to the proverbial island with only one book I'd be tempted to take Walden. My two favorite reads of the past year are The Hummingbird's Daughter by Luis Alberto Urrea and The Inheritance of Loss by Kiran Desai." She also enjoys poetry and would love to host Pulitzer Prize winning poet Mary Oliver for a reading at the Stegner Center some day.

A proponent of giving back to the community, Nystrom currently serves on the boards of two nonprofit organizations, both of which reflect her personal and professional interests, the Entrada Institute, an outdoor education organization in rural Torrey, Utah, and the Utah Society of Environmental Educators. She has also volunteered with local animal rescue agencies to promote more responsible and loving pet ownership and has fostered 11 homeless dogs and puppies. She served on the advisory board for the University of Utah Lifelong Learning Program.