Ad Prompts Alum to Degree, Editor-in-Chief
Ad Prompts Alum to Degree, Editor-in-Chief
By Dan Silvia, Communications Manager
A small ad in a trade publication helped lead Tim Sendelbach to Bellevue University. Now, after earning his Master of Arts in Leadership (MLDR) degree in 2007, Sendelbach is editor-in-chief of that same publication.
“I saw an ad for Bellevue University in Firehouse Magazine. I was looking for an online master’s program, saw the ad, made a call, and applied later that day,” explained Sendelbach, a 29-year veteran of the fire and emergency services industry.
Sendelbach was promoted to his current position this past summer. The job entails more than the magazine itself, he is also responsible for the editorial direction and content of Firehouse.com, two national conferences -- Firehouse Expo (Baltimore, Maryland) and Firehouse World (San Diego, California) -- and related Firehouse products.
“I hope to create a renewed focus on training, professional development and leadership across our entire brand of products. With the support of our staff and contributors, I hope to diversify our readership and our contributor base to include the next generation of fire service leaders, innovators and change agents,” Sendelbach said. “Our greatest challenge is to keep pace with every change world of social media, and to develop the format and product base that supports the wants, needs and interest of the next generation (within the scope of 42 characters or less).”
After earning associate’s and bachelor’s degrees at Eastern Kentucky University, Sendelbach hoped to build on that education.
“I was looking for an opportunity to pursue a degree that would benefit me both personally and professionally,” he said. “I can say without hesitation that my degree in leadership has opened many doors and brought about a great deal of satisfaction over the years. I remain a student of leadership and I continuously seek opportunities to advance the knowledge and skills I learned at BU.”
Sendelbach, who currently resides in Las Vegas, Nevada, lived in Georgia while he pursued his MLDR and embraced online learning.
“While I enjoyed the opportunity to interact with classmates and the outstanding support of my professor, I think the most enjoyable aspect was the online learning itself,” he said. “As much as I enjoyed attending class as an undergrad, the online interaction and individual responses allowed me to meet new friends and learn from them. It also provided me with a much more in-depth understanding of the topics/subject matter.”
Fortitude and perseverance are key traits for any leader. Sendelbach hones those skills away from the office as an endurance sport competitor.
“Outside of work, I enjoy training and competing in endurance sports most notably, triathlons,” he said. “In 2012, I did my first full Ironman (Ironman Louisville) and have since become addicted to the sport. I do an average of six to eight triathlons a year and in 2015, I have plans to do three half-iron races (70.3 miles) and three full Ironman (140.6 miles) races. My goal is to earn a spot to race at the Ironman World Championships in Kona, Hawaii.”
Interested in a degree in Leadership, Emergency Management, or Communications? Contact us at OneStop@bellevue.edu or 1-800-756-7920.