Meet a Member: Molly Klocksin

Molly Klocksin joined NFPW early in her career and rejoined Nebraska Press Women three years ago. She has been active ever since rejoining, even helping plan an affiliate conference. Molly attended her first NFPW communications conference last fall after being awarded a First Timer Grant from the NFPW Education Fund. It is nice to have her back as an active member and we hope to see her again this fall in Alabama. I hope you take time to get to know this unique and unbelievable NFPW member.

Name: Molly Klocksin

City and State: Lincoln, Nebraska

Molly Klocksin

Affiliate and any leadership positions: Parliamentarian, Nebraska Press Women affiliate

Years a member of NFPW: About 3 years in this century.

Tell us a little about you.

I grew up in suburbs of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. My paternal grandfather was a small-town newspaper publisher, and a paternal uncle was a TV news anchor and state legislator. My parents read newspapers and watched the news on TV; we often talked politics at the dinner table. One of my earliest political memories is accompanying my mom to the polls for the 1960 JFK/Nixon presidential campaign. The “lunch ladies” from my elementary school were poll workers!

All through school, I was interested in news and politics. During the summer of 1967, I kept a diary describing what the newspapers and TV stations were reporting about the race riots in Milwaukee.  At one point, I wrote, “I sound like a reporter!”

In high school, I was co-editor of the school paper. I went on to study journalism and political science at the University of Wisconsin- Eau Claire. Journalism was popular in that Watergate era, but I think I may have been a “J” major, anyway.

In my early career, I worked at newspapers – a suburban weekly and a small-city daily. I worked hard, and worked long hours, but the work and the people suited me. I later worked as a press secretary for U.S. Senator Jim Exon, D-Nebraska in Washington, D.C., and for the University of Nebraska-Lincoln., writing press releases and feature stories about agriculture. I then took a detour into my current position as a Case Advocate for Disability Rights Nebraska, and earned a master’s degree in counseling from Doane University in Lincoln. I still feel like a reporter when I investigate abuse/neglect in facilities for people with mental illness. I interview people and observing their surroundings, and then I take the details to our agency’s attorneys – much like I used to gather information for stories that went to editors. I’ve written an Op Ed piece, some press releases and blogs for our agency. .

Any career advice you would give?

Be willing to move for a job. My dad told me I’d have rocks in my head to move to Grand Island, Nebraska. But I wanted to work at a daily newspaper, and I figured working in a lightly populated state’s third largest media market would be a good opportunity. I was right!

Which talent would you most like to have?

I’ve always wanted to be a certified Jazzercise instructor. I’ve been a student for years. It keeps me sane.

If you could live anywhere, where would it be?

I’d like Santa Fe, N.M. in the winter. And northern Wisconsin in the winter.

What book are you reading?

“Leaving the Pink House,” by Ladette Randolph. She’s a Nebraskan, and she writes about all the houses she has lived in. She also writes about renovating an old house with her husband. This book resonated with me because my domestic partner is building us a custom log and stone house on his farmland outside of Lincoln. He does the vast majority of the work, of course, but we often talk about the “Big House on the Prairie” and plan our future there with our cats. We’re hoping to make many happy memories there with visits from his two adult daughters and four adult grandchildren.

What would people be surprised to learn about you?

When I was young, my mother called me “The Next Nancy Dickerson.” Nancy was the first female correspondent on network television. She was from a Milwaukee suburb, and graduated from my mother’s alma mater, the University of Wisconsin-Madison.   Nancy Dickerson’s son, John Dickerson, now hosts “Face the Nation.”  I wrote to him on Facebook after I read his book about his mother. He “liked” my comment. Mom would have gotten a kick out of that!

Why is your affiliate and NFPW important to you?

I’ve met great friends at NFPW and Nebraska Press Women events. Even though I no longer work in the media per se, I still enjoy the company of journalists. Of course we have professional development opportunities, but it’s the people and sense of community that matter most to me. When a member loses a parent or other loved one, NPW members are the first  to send a card. That thoughtfulness is hard to find elsewhere these days!

Way to follow you on a website, twitter, Facebook, etc.

My Twitter handle is @annalia2013. I’m on Facebook as Molly Klocksin.

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