Concordia University professors helped alumnus Kelli Niemeier discover her purpose

Kelli Niemeier ’17 began her time at Concordia University, Nebraska as a transfer student. After working toward a degree with a healthcare focus at a different university, she realized that she was passionate about public health.  

“At that time, Concordia offered a bachelor’s degree in community health – which is now known at the university as a bachelor of science in public health and fitness – and just one college visit solidified that transferring to Concordia as the right decision for me,” she said. 

Niemeier has a bachelor of arts in community health from Concordia Nebraska, a master of public health in community health education from Baylor University and expects to graduate this year with a graduate certificate in global health and global health engagement from Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences. 

Her time on campus was special, and she cited two professors that helped her truly discover her purpose. 

“I attribute many of my success in finding my purpose to Dr. Vicki Boye and Dr. Jennifer Janousek,” she said. “Both professors are tremendously influential in my career today. They were always willing to assist me with coursework and were always supportive of providing me with opportunities outside of the classroom, too. The small classroom environments made it easy to connect and engage with professors.” 

She has many fond memories of her time on campus, but one of her favorite Concordia memories took her halfway across the globe. 

“My favorite experience at Concordia was going on Dr. Janousek's global health mission trip to Guatemala over spring break my senior year,” she said. “It was one of the most impactful experiences to my future career in public health. My experience at Concordia prepared me for my current service by providing me foundational knowledge of all the different facets of public health. I originally felt called to a career in health education, but after taking a course in epidemiology, I found a passion for studying how diseases occur in different groups of people and why.” 

Not only was her time at the university filled with impactful learning that prepared her for her vocation, Niemeier said her time on campus also dramatically impacted her faith. 

“Concordia was instrumental to developing my faith. Starting as a junior transfer student, I felt like I was behind with the required theology courses, but these courses turned out to be so valuable for me to grow in my faith by dedicating time to learn more about scripture,” she said. 

After she graduated from Concordia Nebraska, Niemeier continued her education by obtaining a graduate degree at Baylor University. During her time at Baylor, she worked as a research assistant and studied the epidemiology of pediatric surgical conditions in low- and middle-income countries. 

Following degree completion at Baylor, she returned to Nebraska to start her full-time career with the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services as the chronic disease epidemiologist for the Chronic Disease Prevention and Control Program, where she worked for four years.  

“After the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, I felt called to be commissioned as a reserve officer for the United States Public Health Service, a lesser-known uniformed service, where I continue to serve part-time,” she said. “A year ago, I decided to make a career change and am now employed full-time for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society as a senior manager of evaluation and analytics.” 

Her current role with the National Multiple Sclerosis Society is for the Multiple Sclerosis Navigator Experience Team, an aspect of the Society dedicated to helping people affected by MS live their best lives through direct supportive services and programs.  

“In this role, I provide evaluation and analytic expertise for all of our services and programs within the department,” she said. “Most of my daily work consists of collecting and analyzing data, building dashboards, and developing data visualizations. My career is extremely fulfilling to me because of the National MS Society's mission. My immediate family is personally impacted by MS and the challenges that come along with the disease. Having the opportunity to work for an organization that helps people throughout the various stages of their journey with MS gives me purpose in my work every day!” 

When she is not serving at work, Niemeier loves spending time with her family, especially her two siblings and her one-year-old nephew. She can often be found working on DIY renovations at her house, but she also loves to travel around the United States and abroad. 

Are you interested in learning more about public health and fitness offerings at Concordia Nebraska? Discover more here.